


Revenge

by ihadnotyetlived



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, F/M, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'm so sorry, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kath is really smart tho, Katherine suffers, M/M, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Past Abuse, Rape, Really triggering stuff, She'll be okay, blood tw, these poor fucking kids, violence tw, yep they're still kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-05-05 03:44:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 33
Words: 31,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14608566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihadnotyetlived/pseuds/ihadnotyetlived
Summary: Jack Kelly and Pulitzer may be incredibly different, but there’s one person they care about the most.





	1. Chapter 1

Katherine stretched her body out from her hard wooden chair and rubbed her eyes. She opened her eyes and looked towards the clock. Oh. Was it 9 already? Why hadn’t anyone let her know? Maybe they had but she’d just waved them off. Sighing, she stiffly stood up and gathered her stuff. It was September, the tail end of summer and while the days were sweltering, the nights were getting colder and colder. She debated staying here, but she knew realistically she couldn’t. Huffing, she stepped outside into the cold night. 

She decided to take the way by the Lodging House, where the Newsies lived. Although it would take her much longer, the way was well lit and it made her feel safer. Not to mention, Jack might be back from wherever he goes during the day, probably the Bowery. That was enough to motivate her, and she started off in that direction.  
_____________________________________________________________________________

“Thank you boys,” he said rubbing his wrists where the cuffs were. “I’ll make sure you get everything you could ever want. The boys eyes lit up and they started to rattle off ideas to one another. The man held up his hand effectively silencing them. “But first, I have some, ah, business to attend to.” The boys looked on in confusion. “That rotten Pulitzer, letting himself get beaten by a bunch of lousy children. Not just lousy children, but the horrid Jack Kelly too. I need a way to make both of them pay for what they’ve done to me. Do you follow, boys?” 

The boys stared for a moment before slowly nodding their heads, and then changing their direction and shaking them in confusion. 

The man huffed and rolled his eyes. “Boys, the easiest way to hurt Jack Kelly and Pulitzer would be…” he looked at them waiting for them to finish his sentence. 

“Take away all their blankets?” One offered.

“Beatin’ ‘em both with my favorite brass knuckle!” The other exclaimed.

The man stared in disbelief before continuing. “No you idiots. Jack Kelly and Pulitzer may be incredibly different, but there’s one person they care about the most. That lousy reporter girl.”  
“Katherine.” They marveled.

“Yes, boys. We get her and we’ll see how long it takes for Kelly and Pulitzer to come knocking on our door.” He looked to make sure they understood. “We get her tonight.”   
____________________________________________________________________________

Katherine’s hands were beginning to numb and she breathed on them to try and gain feeling back in them. She wished Jack were here to hold her hands and keep her company by cracking dumb jokes that she would then roll her eyes and proceed to smack him on the arm. But no, he wasn’t here and she was all alone.   
Toughen up, Katherine. She thought to herself. You’ve dealt with worse than a cold walk home. She walked on, her thoughts silent for once. That was odd. She should’ve known something was wrong, her thoughts never stop racing. She looked ahead of her. The Lodging house was only a few steps away, she was sure she could make it. She cautiously passed the alleyway next to the Lodging house and walked up the sidewalks hill towards the front door. 

In a different world, she would’ve made it up the steps. In a different world, she would’ve knocked. In a different world the Newsies would’ve opened the door and they would’ve tackled her with hugs. In a different world Jack would’ve taken her hand and led her up to the roof. It would be cold, but they’d have each other to keep warm. But this wasn’t a different world. 

Before she could get near the stairs, she felt a meaty hand on her shoulder. Her breathing hitched. “Sir,” she said as bravely as she could muster without turning around, “I suggest you remove your hand from my shoulder or there will be hell to pay.”

“Why for a young lady, you sure do have a potty mouth.” The man growled. The voice sent shivers down Katherine’s spine. She recognized that voice, she was sure of it. She just couldn’t pinpoint who’s it was. 

“Sir,” she repeated, her voice shaking this time. “Remove your hand from my shoulder at once and we can go our separate ways.”

He chuckled darkly. “You’re not going anywhere, little lady.” He moved closed to wrap his arms around her body. Her first instinct was to turn and knee. Then to run into the Lodging house, this time without knocking. But as he fell, she caught a glimpse of his face. And she knew she couldn’t go inside the lodging house. So she ran (which was hard to do in a long skirt going uphill). 

“Boys!” Snyder howled. Katherine heard two sets of feet behind her and ran faster. However, they soon caught up with her and they grabbed her arms incredibly tight. She caught a glimpse of a hand, wearing a shining brass knuckle. The Delancy’s. She struggled as hard a she could, but there was no way she was getting out. The Delancy’s were easy to outsmart, but to out fight? Nearly impossible. Before she knew it, they had her standing upright and were holding her to face Snyder who gripped her face in his hands.

“A feisty one. We’re going to have a time with you!” She couldn’t help it now. She was afraid, no, terrified. What are they going to do to me? They started to drag her away but she fought back harder than she did before. She promised she wouldn’t drag the boys into this but her fear got the better of her. And no way Snyder and the Delancy’s could win with tens of boys fighting them. “Help!” She cried. “Jack! Davey! Specs! Race! Romeo! Anyone! Help!”

“Shut it bitch!” Oscar yelled rearing back his arm. Oh god, oh god, oh god. Jack I’m sorry. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she screamed. The dark night went completely black.  
________________________________________________________________________

Not too far away, Jack walked back from the Bowery, flecks of paint in his hair and on his hands. He wasn’t too far away from the lodging house now. He’d been humming a tune that he often heard Katherine hum although he didn’t know the name of it. In the distance he heard a chilling scream, but thought nothing of it. He’d heard too many in his time (some coming from him) to really notice, he tried to convince himself. But this scream, felt different. He shook it off and walked up and into the Lodging house. He’d expected to be greeted with hugs and “Hey Jack how’s you been?” But instead he was greeted with a room full of pale and anxious kids, some of them with tear stained cheeks. Les lay asleep on Elmers lap.

Jack wanted to make a joke. He wanted to say “Aye fellas, I ain’t been gone that long.” But this was serious. Something was wrong. 

“Davey?” He asked. Davey and Les had been living in the Lodging house since they had lost their home. Davey only responded by patting the empty seat next to him on the old, worn couch. Jack sunk down into it and Davey began to speak.  
____________________________________________________________________

“...Jack! Davey! Specs! Race! Romeo! Anyone! Help!” Davey shot up out of his light sleep, Les still snoring next to him. Around him, other boys had heard the cries and stirred from their sleep. 

“W-wha? Who call’d me?”

“Came from ousside.”

“Sounds bad.”

“Specs! Go take a look.” Specs poked his head out the window and Race followed. “What is-” Davey was cut off by a blood curdling scream and the disturbing sound of a body hitting the pavement. Les snapped awake and Elmer picked him up to keep him away from whatever was going on. Race went pale. He turned around a haunted look in his eye and raced down the stairs. Specs immediately followed, along with the rest of the Newsies.

“Racer! Racer! Don’t be stupid, you can’t save her.” 

“B-but she’s gonna suffer! I ain’t lettin’ her!”

“He’s gonna kill you and still make her suffer. Then you really ain’t gonna be able to do anythin’ ‘bout it.”

Racer fell to the ground. Knowing this to be true, he still sobbed. 

“Specs, what’s going on?” Davey asked concern flooding his voice. Racer never cried. 

“It’s-” he looked around before continuing, seeing as all the Newsies were listening, “It’s Katherine.” Gasps filled the room and Les looked to Romeo for comfort. 

“And Snyder.” Race heaved from the floor. 

But he was in jail? “How’d he get out?” Davey wondered aloud. 

Specs inhaled. “The Delancey brothers.” The house was silent for a moment before yelling errupted. 

“Why’s we still standin’ here?”

“She needs ours help!”

“We don’t even know where they took her!”

“We can find out if we’s split up!”

“Let’s go soak ‘em boys!”

“Yeah!”

“No!” Davey cried. “Finch, like you said, we don’t even know where they are. It’s late at night and we could be taken to if we’re not careful.” There were grumbles of disapprovement and agreement at what Davey said.

“So Dave, what do we do?” Albert questioned. Crutchie nodded in agreement.

Davey thought for a moment before deciding. “We wait for Jack. He wouldn’t want all of us goin’ out at this hour huntin’ after some thugs.”

“Good idea,” Specs said from beside Race who had seemed to calm down and was now staring vacantly at the door.

So the boys sat and waited. For what felt like hours. The time and silence let their minds wander. Many who had been in the custody of Snyder feared the worst for Katherine. Some began to cry. Les, not understanding much as he was still half asleep, curled onto Elmers lap. Within a matter of minutes, he was asleep. They were about to go insane when Jack opened the door.  
__________________________________________________________________________

Jack could kill him. And he would do it too. All Snyder took from him, his childhood, his innocence, his ability to sleep at night, and now the one thing that kept him here (not just in New York, but here) Katherine. Just when his nightmares were starting to become far and inbetween. He put his face in his hands before standing up and heading towards the door. He’d kill him. He would. 

“Jack, please. Don’t go.” Jack looked down to see Race sobbing at his feet. Of course the kid wouldn’t want him to go, they were locked up in the refuge together. He wouldn’t want him to suffer again.

“It won’t do any good,” Davey noted.

“He’s right Jack.” Crutchie agreed.

Giving in (for once) Jack plopped down on the couch. “Alright, alright. So what do we do then fellas?” Nobody had an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So idk how to write but here you go 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay so be warned: There's some violent stuff in this chapter. Attempted murder, rape/noncon (not too graphic), knives, blood.
> 
> Comments are appreciated!

Katherine woke some hours later in a dark room with a splitting headache. Her cheek was pressed onto the cold concrete floor. She wanted to sit up, but she didn’t have the strength for that. Her arms were sprawled out beside her, and she could see fingerprint shaped bruises formed all up and down her arms. She tried to inhale, but it turned into an ugly, raspy cough. The next thing she knew, two sets of hands were pulling her up off the ground. Unable to stop herself, she cried out in pain and the sudden movement. 

“Morning girlie!” Oscar said.

“Didja miss us?” Morris asked. Katherine shut her eyes and said nothing. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. 

“Looks like we have to take her to the boss.” Katherine was violently shoved through a heavy door, and hauled up a steep flight of stairs as a rat scurried in front of her. The Refuge. She thought with a shudder. She was led, no rather shoved, down a long series of hallways until they finally reached a door. Morris tightened his grip on her arm as Oscar stepped forward to knock on the door.

“Come in.” The voice sent shivers down Katherine’s spine. But nevertheless, she was pushed forward. Don’t be afraid. She willed herself. Soon, she was alone with Snyder sitting in front of his desk on a wooden stool. He was looking down, shuffling through a stack of old papers. Still, she willed herself to look right at him so she didn’t show any fear.

“Katherine Pulitzer,” He said. She said nothing. “You’re probably wondering why you are here.” She still said nothing. Noting this, Snyder looked up and slid a paper across the desk towards her. “Read.” He commanded. 

Katherine looked down at the paper. Oh. It was Jack’s record. In the top left corner, there was a mug of him from when he was maybe around fifteen. His hair was disheveled and there looked to be bruises everywhere. He had a haunted look in his eyes that Katherine had only seen once, in her father's office. The text under the phot read: Jack Kelly. Male. Dark hair. Green eyes. There was no height included. To the right of the photo, there was text from all his four arrests describing why he was arrested. Katherine knew the stories, and these descriptions were way overdramatized.

Katherine pushed the paper away from her and Snyder looked at her in disgust. “This boy,” he spat as if the words were poison. “Has been caught countless times. He’s a dangerous thief, and criminal. Not the kind of man a young lady of your standing should be seeing, hm?” Katherine had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. “Which is why I’m offering you a deal. Write a letter to Jack Kelly-under my supervision of course-and when he shows up, we’ll keep him here and let you free.” Katherine furrowed her brow. “And as for your father, write him a letter and let him know that every day he doesn’t come and rescue you will be hundreds of dollars.” He smiled a sickening smile. “So, shall we begin?” He moved a pen and a blank sheet of paper in front of her and prompted her to write. 

Katherine starred at the page for a few minutes debating in her head. It didn’t take her long to decide. The man offering the deal was the man of Jack’s nightmares and there was no way she was going to put him through that again. 

“No.” She said, speaking for the first time since last night.

Snyder was taken aback. “No?” He asked. 

“No.” Katherine confirmed. 

Snyder menacingly stood up from behind his desk and Katherine winced. Slowly, he walked over to where Katherine was sitting and cupped her face in his hands. He then pulled her into a painful standing position and she cried out at a sharp pain in her head. His face was inches from her. “You could’ve made this easy for yourself, but I see that Kelly boy has done you no good. He always wanted to be a hero and now his little whore does too.” He reared his head back and spit right in her face. 

“Boys!” He called. The Delancy’s came running in through the door. “Let’s start the routine with this one. See how many days it takes for her to crack.” 

Routine? What does that mean? Katherine thought. Snyder let go of her face, and she relished in the moment of having no pain. She didn’t have time to wipe the spit from her face as Snyder grabbed her hair and yanked her out the door.  
___________________________________________________________________________  
The routine started with a bath. Snyder pulled her down the many winding hallways of the abandoned Refuge before shoving her into a filthy bathroom. He moved towards the tub and began filling it with water as the Delancy’s walked up behind her to restrain her once again.   
“This is going to be so much fun missy,” Oscar whispered in her ear. The feeling of his breath, and the words he said made Katherine shudder with disgust. 

“May we, boss?” Morris asked. Snyder shrugged as if to say he didn’t care, and Katherine felt hands clawing at her clothing. 

“No!” She protested, but of course she was ignored. Although she fought back, it wasn’t long until she stood naked in front of the three men. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around herself as she felt her face go completely red. She was then shoved forward (again) and literally fell into the hands of Snyder who promptly shoved her into the water.

Oh God. It was cold. The water felt like thousand of knives crawling over her skin at once and she let out a cry. “Let me know when you feel like giving in.” Snyder said as he shoved her head under the water. Damn it. Let me die here. She thought. If that’s what it took to keep Snyder away from Jack, that’s what she’d do. Her lungs were burning and her vision was spinning. It seemed as if this was it. She didn’t even know how long she’d been holding her breath for.

Suddenly, she was pulled out of the water and onto the cold tile floor coughing and sputtering. “Damn you!” Snyder shouted before kicking her in the stomach. She groaned and curled in on herself. “Boys! Follow me.” The Delancy’s followed Snyder out of the room, but not before tossing Katherine her underslip. Once she regained enough strength, she put it on   
thankful for the little bit of warmth it provided in this cold room. She curled into herself trying to get a little bit of warmth before falling into a fitful sleep.  
____________________________________________________________________________  
All too soon, the doors to the bathroom burst open and there stood the Delancy’s, with twisted smiles on their faces. Katherine sat up immediately. 

“What do you want from me?” She demanded. “I don’t have anything to give you.”

Morris chuckled “Hate to tell ya, but ya do have something.”

Katherine didn’t quite know what they meant, but the look in their eyes frightened her. She took a step back and they took a step forward until her back was against the wall and Morris stood over her with both of hands on either side of her. He was too close and the look in his eye was too hungry. Suddenly, she understood and this sudden understanding triggered a knee jerk reaction. Morris cried out and backed off as Katherine turned and bolted towards the door. She didn’t make it as Oscar grabbed her and slammed her onto the ground. Before she could move, she felt the weight of Oscar on top of her. She began to panic. She’d written too many articles on this (none that had been published) to not understand what was going on.

“Wonder if she’ll scream.” Morris growled. Yet, Katherine refused. Although she wanted to, she bit her tongue and stayed silent. Everything was a blur, and before she knew it, she was left alone huddled in the corner trying to process what had just happened. Of course, when the aching in her body had started to subside the door burst open and there stood Snyder. 

Snyder was worse than the Delancy’s. Maybe it was because of who he was or maybe it was the fact that she let it happen. No. She told herself. You’re not letting this happen. You’re trapped here it’s not your fault. She began to wonder if Jack had gone through anything like this.

Before she knew it, it was over and Snyder stood above her. His face was red and glistening with sweat, but he still had that glint in his eye. Katherine was revolted. She thought it was over. But Snyder didn’t do what she expected. Instead he drew a knife from his pocket, its shiny blade glinting in the dim light. He bent down towards her and yanked her left arm up. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, he dug the tip of the knife into the skin on her forearm. She refused to scream. He drove deeper and her vision went blurry. Still, she made no sound. Snyder slowly dragged the knife across her arm making a horizontal cut. He then dug in his pocket and tossed a piece of stale bread at her as if she were a dog before closing and locking the door.

Katherine knew immediately that she had to stop the bleeding, lest it get infected. She ripped a piece from the hem of her dress (which was surprisingly easy) and wrapped it around her arm. The blood quickly soaked through, but there was nothing she could do about it. She took the bread ad ripped it in half. She didn’t know if she’d get anything everyday, so she knew she needed to save any amount of food she got. With some great effort, she hoisted herself off the floor and wandered around the dimly light bathroom while nibbling the half of the bread. 

She rubbed her hand against the wall, trying to find anything. The walls were bare. She moved to the next wall, behind the bathtub. Her hand crossed a cold metal shade with a locked latch that she assumed led to a window. The gears in her mind began to turn, but she was too tired to actually think anything through. Quietly she slid down the wall and finally let the tears come. They were quiet and slow and not at all how she expected to cry. God she missed Jack and his gentle touch. She missed joking with the other boys and her job at the Sun. Hell she even missed her father. 

Quietly, she began to hum an old tune. 

“Down where the violets grow.  
In a moss covered sunny glad;  
Near where the little brooklets flow  
In sunlight and in shade;  
I met a handsome maiden,  
Blue eyes, and breast like snow;  
'Twas there I gained her love.  
Down where the violets grow.

'Twas there I gained her love,  
And often kissed her rosy lips,  
Down where the violets grow.

The day I asked her for her hand  
She started like a fawn;  
And blushed like the sunlight, that o'er our land  
Spreads early in the morn.

She placed her little hand in mine,  
And looked up in my face,  
As she whispered softly: "I'll be thine!"  
Down where the violets grow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Down Where the Violets Grow. Composed by P. H. O'Donnell. I don't know when it was published but let's just pretend Katherine would know it


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Katherine is a witty little shit and I love her

Katherine finally understood what they meant by a routine. Each day she was violently dragged into Snyder’s office and asked to write the letters. Each day she declined and was then dragged back to the bathroom where she was submerged in cold water. She’d have a few moments of peace until the Delancy’s came in, followed by Snyder who would then leave his mark on her arm. Each time was deeper than the last and it wasn’t until the fifth time when Snyder made a diagonal slash across the other four that Katherine realized he was keeping a tally of the days. It was also the first time she screamed in pain, much to Snyder’s pleasure. 

By day seven, she had explored every possible corner of the bathroom and had a weak idea of a plan for getting out. She wasn’t quite sure, but today it felt like it had taken longer for the Delancy’s to come and drag her off to Snyder. She was beginning to worry that they had left and she was going to slowly die of bleeding out or starvation until the bathroom door opened revealing the Delancy’s.

“Boss isn’t here today so we got you all to ourselves.” Morris chuckled.

Spotting the brass knuckle on his hand, Katherine knew she needed to stall. “Why?” She asked. 

Oscar blinked. “Away on business.”

“Does he go every week?”

“Yeah every Thursday. What’s it to ya?” He moved towards her threateningly.

Katherine thought for a moment. “I just wanted to let him know that I’ve agreed to the letters.” She said innocently. The Delancy’s looked at each other in shock. “Don’t I need paper and a pen to write them?”

“Uh yeah. Yeah. Boss’ll want that done right away.” They both left the room and returned shortly with a large stack of paper and a pen and set them down in front of her. Katherine didn’t bother to even look at the paper and pen before standing up and strolling over to the metal shade.

“What’s this?” She asked pointing to it. 

“It’s a window.” Morris said. Oscar elbowed him in the side. 

Katherine shrugged and moved back over to the paper. “What do you want me to write?”   
“Uh. What boss told ya I guess.” The two looked utterly confused, and she seemed to have distracted them enough from what they came down here to do.

Katherine nodded and wrote out the messages. Slowly. Slower than she’s ever written in her life. “I get so bored down here.” She lamented. 

“Uh what do ya want us to do about it?” Oscar asked incredulously. 

Katherine hummed in response. “I don’t know. You don’t happen to have anything i could sew?” Katherine hadn’t sewn in years.

Oscar and Morris looked at each other in confusion. “I guess we do? We’ll go get it for ya.” 

Katherine smiled in response. Once they left the room, she quickly took the stacks of paper and slid them into a nook she found over the past week. She hastily finished the messages and wrote on Jacks: 

Jack, please don’t listen to what I wrote here. That was a guided message. Don’t come here. Don’t try and find me. With a little thought, she decided that a lie couldn’t hurt. Besides, they won’t let me go even if you come here so it won’t really accomplish anything. I love you. Stay strong. Send the boys my love. 

She folded the letter and then wrote on her fathers:

 

Father, I am okay. Please don’t give up the money no matter what. She figured her father didn’t need any more persuasion and she folded the letter in half. She took the pen and put it with the stack of paper before resuming her position on the floor. The Delancy’s entered the room again and she handed them the letters. Just a she suspected, they weren’t smart enough to read them. They handed her the fabric and sewing supplies and she thanked them. 

They turned to leave the room to deliver the letters when Katherine stopped them. “Wait!” They turned to face her. “Does sunlight come through this window?” She asked pointing to the metal shaded window. 

Oscar frowned at her curiosity. “At this hour yeah.”

“Can you open the metal part? Just so I can sit in the sunlight?” 

They stared at her in horror. “No! We ain’t stupid!”

Now, Katherine hadn’t actually whined in years, but she knew when she did she was the most annoying person to exist. “That’s not fair!” She whined. “You guys really think I’m going to punch a window to escape when I’ll be out soon enough?” She gestured towards the letters. “I’m not even strong enough to break a window!” 

“I guess she’s right.” Oscar said. Morris shrugged. So her guess was right. The window behind that was glass. She watched as Oscar walked over to the window with a silver (noted: silver) key and undid the metal shade. He walked over to Katherine and yanked her off the floor by her hurt arm. Katherine winced but didn’t scream. She didn’t want to give them a reason to hurt her even more. “Happy now princess?” He asked sarcastically. 

“I suppose it’ll do,” Katherine said moving over with her sewing supplies to sit in the warm sunlight. She had to admit, it was nice to be warm for once. The Delancy’s turned and left to go deliver the letters and Katherine began sewing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another more graphic chapter

Seven days without Katherine. Jack couldn’t believe it. He was tired of sitting and doing nothing, but he had no ideas. He’d been out selling with Les and Davey when the letter came. He’d found it in his paper bag and his heart soared when he recognized the handwriting. It dropped again when he read what the letter said. 

Jack, I’m trapped in the Refuge and there’s only one way to rescue me. You have to turn yourself in to Snyder so I can walk free. 

“There’s more words on the other side.” Jack hadn’t even noticed Les standing under him, attempting to read Katherine’s handwriting. Jack flipped the folded note over and read what it said.

“Damn it!” He cussed. At this point, it was either let Katherine die and suffer on her own, or die and suffer with her. No. He was going to get her out. But...how? He saw the Delancy’s every day and he knew they knew what was happening to Katherine, but he didn’t want to say anything lest she paid for it later. 

Jack took to walking the streets all day, leaving Les alone with Davey. He looked up to see the sun setting and let tears slip quietly down his face as seven days without Katherine turned into eight.  
____________________________________________________________________________  
The twelfth day was the worst. Snyder had gotten incredibly drunk and took to abusing Katherine all day. It had been five days since the letters were sent and Jack hadn’t showed up. Money hadn’t come Snyder’s way either. She should be used to it by now. Something happened to her everyday but this was different.

Snyder was on top of her with his hands around her throat. “You’re a worthless bitch after all!” He cried. “Your father doesn’t care about you enough to cough up a few dollars to bring you home!” The pressure of his hands increased around her throat and she struggled to fight back. “Your little Jack Kelly doesn’t love you enough to sacrifice himself!” Had she not written on the letters, she might have thought it to be true. 

The pressure around her throat increased still. “Oh? You don’t like it this rough, do you? I’m shocked! I thought you would seeing as you’re Kelly’s whore!” He pressed harder still. Katherine was determined not to succumb to his wrath, and she stayed conscious. It wasn’t until he pushed with all his strength and began to actually throttle her she gave in. 

“P-please.” She sputtered. Snyder was shocked and let go, giving her time to breathe in a bit. But it wasn’t enough. Before she knew it, she slipped away.  
___________________________________________________________________________  
“P-please.” Snyder was shocked to hear that word come out of the brats mouth. She never asked for anything, much less asked so respectfully. Sure, she was dying but still. The bitch said please. Maybe all his disciplining had done some good after all. If Kelly ever showed, maybe he’d keep her around to see how far they each would be willing to go for each other.  
___________________________________________________________________________

“Good afternoon Mr. Kelly.” It was nearing the end of day fourteen without Katherine, and Jack had had enough of sitting around doing nothing. This morning he’d found himself in Mr. Pulitzers office. The two had quite a complicated relationship. While Pulitzer respected Jack, he loathed him with every fiber of his being and disapproved wholeheartedly of him and Katherine’s relationship, while Jack neither liked or respected Pulitzer. 

Jack slammed the note down on Pulitzers desk without greeting and waited for Pulitzer to put his paper aside and read the note. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. “Yes, Mr. Kelly. I am fully aware of the situation.”

Jack looked at him as if he’d just murdered a puppy. “Oh! You know? And you ain’t gonna do nothin’?” 

Pulitzer sighed and took his glasses off. “Mr. Kelly, the letter I received from my daughter demanded and absurd amount of money. There’s no way I’m going to pay the ransom, it is a trap.” He held up his hand before Jack could protest. “Besides, didn’t she tell you not to show up? That it won’t do any good because they’ll keep her there anyways?”

Jack thought he was angry before but now all he saw was red. “So you’re just gonna let her rot in there? Like, like she don’t even matter to ya, huh? Listen to me Joe. We could go there and break her out. It’s possible I’ve done it before and-”

“Jack.” Jack was taken aback by hearing Pulitzer refer to him by his first name and he stopped talking. Pulitzer stood up from behind his desk and walked over to Jack putting a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t save everyone. Sometimes in a war, there are battles you lose and there’s nothing that can be done about it.” 

“We can at least try…” Pulitzer shook his head and Jack shrugged his hand off his shoulder, grabbed the note from Pulitzers desk and left his office without a word. He was going to find and save Katherine if it was the last thing he did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If she didn't do this now, she'd be dead by Sunday."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got too excited to post this chapter. Oops. Comment if you enjoyed!!!!!!

Katherine awoke with a throbbing headache. Her throat hurt, and she noticed her breathing came raspy, and uneven. How long had she been out? Although they felt like lead, she lifted her arm to count the cuts. Five, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen? Had she been out for two days? She sat up noticing for the first time that she was wet and cold, no doubt from the “routine.” Her head spun and she saw black dots appear in her vision. Immediately, she collapsed back onto the floor. 

She wasn’t sure how long it took her to gain enough strength to sit up and stumble over towards the nook where she kept the papers. She reached into the pouch she had sewn and pulled out the papers. Scanning across them she found it. Her handwriting was a little off since she nearly died and it was incredibly dim in this room, but it was still legible. 

Turns out, ever since she got the paper on day seven, she’d had an entry to write. Even on day 12 she wrote:

Nearly died. Can’t breathe. Can’t see. Everything is fuzzy. I want to go home. I want my father. It’s cold. They hate me. They want money. And Jack.

That was all she wrote. To be honest she blacked out for most of day thirteen, but apparently she was still conscious enough to write something. She found a very graphic recount of what happened to her on day thirteen. Wait. She thought. If I have the mark on my arm, then it’s already too late for me to try and put my plan into action. Damn. She’d have to wait another week at the very least.

The next week was absolute hell. She was beaten worse than she had ever been, and fed a few crumbs every day. She was always cold and wet. She was sure if she had a mirror, she wouldn’t even recognize herself. Would she still be strong enough to go through with her plan? Snyder had taken to having her more than once a day, giving Katherine little time to rest. She was absolutely disgusted with everything they were doing and didn’t hesitate to say so. Her lack of ability to hold her tongue got her beat up pretty bad. A lot of times by the Delancy’s with their brass knuckles.

She had never been in so much pain. She wanted to give up and give in. But damn it. She was stubborn. She couldn’t give up and leave Jack and the boys alone. She couldn’t die and leave her father knowing that two of his daughters were dead. No matter what it cost her, she was going to fight to stay alive. 

After what seemed like weeks, Thursday, day 21 had finally come. Snyder had dug the last few cuts incredibly deep and it seemed like the bleeding wouldn’t stop for more than a few minutes at a time. She was weak, but she was conscious. So now was the time to put her plan into action. Weakly, she dragged herself over to the door and hit it a few times. Soon enough, the Delancy’s barged in.

“What do ya want?”

 

She shivered violently (it wasn’t an act although she wished it was) and pointed to the metal shade. “W-warmth.”

Morris laughed. “Nah. Not this week girlie. We was feelin’ real nice once, but not today.” With that, they forced themselves upon her. She was so exhausted she didn’t even want to fight back, but then she remembered, the key. She opened her eyes and saw what she needed right above her, hanging off of Morris’ neck. The silver key. Oh God. She was really about to do this.  
She reached up and grabbed the Key, before she began to yell words that no young lady should ever know. She hit and kicked and pushed startling Morris enough that she was able to push him off her. She threw the key to the other side of the room with a loud clink, but the Delancy's were too angry with her to even notice the sound. 

She thought she had been beaten bad before, but that was nothing compared to what they did to her then. Their sick laughs drowned out her tortured screams. By the time they were through, she could taste the blood in every breath and felt the throbbing pain between her legs. Oh God she was in so much pain. She could hardly open her eyes without feeling a searing pain shoot through her head. But she had to do this now. If she didn’t do it now, she’d be dead by Sunday. 

With great pain, she heaved herself off the floor and grabbed her pouch of papers from the nook. She took the papers that weren’t written on and placed them in front of the door to the bathroom. Paper could be quite slippery in her experience. Her movements were frustratingly slow as everything she did made her want to literally keel over and die. Eventually after shuffling around the floor for the key she found it and unlocked the metal shade. Even though the sun was setting, the light was incredibly harsh on her eyes. 

She eyed the window. The glass was incredibly thin, but it would still take her a few tries to break it. A few weeks ago, she could’ve broken it with her pinky. She put the pouch between her teeth and reared back her right arm. Here goes. One. All she got was a sharp pain in her knuckles. Two. Little hairline fractures appeared in the glass. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. She was so weak. The glass was hardly broken and she swore she heard footsteps down the hall. The adrenaline kicked in and she punched harder. Nine. Ten. With the tenth hit, the glass shattered, cutting her arm, making it bleed and the bathroom door burst open. Quckly, She tucked the pouch under her left arm and began to climb out the window.

Although Morris slipped on the paper and Oscar fell over Morris, they still reached her before she got out the window. Two sets of hands pulled her back into the room, and she fell painfully onto the glass. Adrenaline took over from there. Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to fight them on her own, but she was so close and so determined to getting out. She grabbed a large shard of glass and began to swing violently at them both, succeeding in cutting Morris’ eye and Oscars cheek. While they covered their faces in pain, she turned and climbed out the window. Although they pulled her back, she kicked and kicked until... she was free. Oh God she was free. She turned right, and sprinted down the alleyway.

Two sets of feet were behind her and oh, she was so tired and weak. All she wanted was to fall into Jack’s arms and sleep there forever. She began to slow. Katherine heard their feet behind her and adrenaline kicked in again. She was not going to go back there. Because if she did, she wouldn’t even make it to Sunday. She’d be dead by tonight. She picked up speed. She knew she had to lose them so she made a right down the first alley she saw. Then a left. Then another left. Then a right. She didn’t know where she was, and the world began to blur around her. Keep going Katherine. She told herself. Those boys are counting on you. She could really taste blood now. She had a mouth full of it. 

By the time she had collapsed in an empty park and dry heaved blood into the nearest bush, night had fallen. Oh God it was cold. Why wasn’t she ever warm? She shivered violently. She had successfully lost the Delancy’s and now that the adrenaline had worn off, she felt everything. The pain was nearly unbearable. Wait her pouch! She weakly felt around for it, finding it laying beside her on the ground. She gripped it and sighed with relief, breathing in the cold, but refreshing outside air. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a figure coming towards her in the dark. Oh God. Was she dreaming? No, this was real and she was awake. Upon spotting her, the figure moved faster. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. She knew she had to hide but she couldn’t move. Shaking violently, and not just from fear, she stood up and attempted to drag herself towards the bushes. The figure broke out into a sprint. This was it. She’d put up a good fight, but she was going to die right here in this unknown park at the hands of a Delancy. Jack I’m sorry. She fell to her knees.

The figure finally reached her and kneeled down to her level. It was so dark outside she couldn’t quite see his face. He was saying something. But she was too scared to hear him. He reached out to her face and she expected to feel the harsh and painful grip of a Delancy. Instead she felt warm, gentle calloused hands. Hands she’d recognize anywhere. “Jack.” She whispered hoarsely before falling into him. He was warm, he was so warm. 

“Ace,” he said in disbelief. 

“Jack.” She said again. If she wasn’t so dehydrated and exhausted she’d be crying. Jack helped her up to her feet and she leaned into him. “J-jack.” She said shivering. Her vision began to blur and she began to topple backwards. Jack’s strong, steady arms caught her and broke her fall.

“Ace! We’ll get ya-” That was all she heard before the dark night went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it wasn't clear, Katherine sewed the pouch to keep the papers in.
> 
>  
> 
> Comment if you enjoyed!!! There won't be another chapter tomorrow, but there may be one either Wednesday or Thursday. Feel free to comment!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello here's the next part! Comment if you enjoyed!

Jack had gone to Medda’s to paint nearly every day since Katherine was taken. All of his work was angry and dark with rough edges. On day fifteen, he was throwing paint all over the canvas yelling obscenities about Snyder and the Delancy’s. His tears blurred his vision and his heart ached. He painted his heartbreak, his sadness, his hopelessness and his terror. Medda let him be until he was a sobbing mess on the ground. With that, she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let some light in, kid.” She told him. Jack finally calmed down and did exactly what Medda told him. Instead of painting his anger and sadness, he painted everything that reminded him of Katherine. Bright colors, flowers, the night sky full of stars. Now when he cried, the tears were quiet and the heartbreak was much more real. 

He didn’t know how he kept the boys in order when he was feeling like this. It had to be done though. Winter was coming and even though they won the strike, they still weren’t making enough to support themselves completely. He had to make sure every Newsie had a warm enough place to sleep and decent food to eat. He often needed Racers help, but Race often snuck off to Brooklyn “for comfort” as he said. Jack didn’t quite understand. 

He knew the boys heard him crying in his bunk at night (it was too cold to sleep on the rooftop) and for once in his life, he didn’t care if he looked tough or not. The whole ordeal had taken a toll on all the boys, even those who had never been to the Refuge. They still heard the stories and were afraid for Katherine. They knew that Jack hadn’t had someone like Katherine, ever. Sure they were both opinionated and hot headed, but she kept him down to earth and he helped her see a different world. Not to mention their pure love for each other. 

However, after week one, the boys tried to bring the energy back, although it wasn’t all there. 

On day twenty, Jack couldn’t bring himself to go sell. He couldn’t look at the Delancy’s without wanting to knock their teeth out. He lay in his bunk mulling over ridiculous ways to get Katherine out of there. He had been so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Davey walk in.

“Hey.” Davey whispered. Jack grunted in response. “I just wanted to say, uh,” Davey awkwardly put his hands in his pockets. Jack turned his head to look at him from his position on his back. “Thanks.” Jack furrowed his brow. “Thanks for not doing anything stupid and not getting yourself killed. We don’t know if my dad’s gonna make it and I don’t think Les and I could survive without you.” He wiped the tears off his cheeks. Jack sat up.

“Hey. Don’t you get all emotional and cry on me fella. That’s my new job.” Davey gave him a weak smile and turned to walk out the door and Jack laid back down on his bunk. 

Davey stopped before he got through the door and turned back to Jack. “Hey Jackie.” 

“Hm?”

Davey paused for a moment. “We’ll get her back. I promise.”


	7. Chapter 7

Davey’s words echoed in his head for the next day. “We’ll get her back. I promise.” Jack kicked a rock across the street. It was day twenty-one and he was starting to doubt it. “Katherine.” He whispered. He wanted nothing more than to have her in his arms, or to have to drag her away from her writing to get her some food. His mind couldn’t stop wandering. He knew first hand what Snyder was capable of, he had the scars to prove it. Jack shuddered at the memories. The blood, his screams, the pain.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Jacks mind. Why was he letting her struggle alone? If he’s there, he could find a way to get her out. He’d done it before. He made up his mind. He was going to help Katherine. He turned and began to walk in the direction of the Refuge before stopping in his tracks. Be realistic Jack. He told himself. He knew he couldn’t go to the Refuge unnoticed. Knowing Snyder, he’d probably make Katherine suffer before finishing him off. Jack huffed resisting the urge to punch a wall. He turned back around and walked on, letting the tears fall freely down his face. 

He ignored the stares he got from others as he walked down the streets. The city wasn’t as crowded on this side of Manhattan as it was cold and dangerous. He walked for hours. The fellas are probably worried bout me. He thought. Even though it was dark and he wasn’t really looking where he was going, he knew exactly where he was. A little unnamed park he used to sell in all the time with Race when they were younger. He really should be getting back at this point. The other boys probably were worried about him. He was about to turn back and defeatedly head back to the lodging house when he saw her.

She was slumped against a bench and presumably sleeping. From this distance she looked maybe about eight or nine. Jack didn’t know who she was or where she came from. He couldn’t see her face as the night was incredibly dark and there was no moon to light the way. Jack began to move towards her. Maybe he could get her back on her feet, and if she had nowhere to go, then he’d help her become a Newsie. As he got closer, she appeared older. But his offer still stood. 

He walked closer still and her eyes snapped open. Spotting him in the distance, she scurried to get away, but something was wrong. She couldn’t stand up properly. Everytime she tried, she swayed and fell back down onto the ground. Jack sped up. Oh no she needs help, was his first thought. Then when she fell for the last time and stayed on the ground trembling, Jack broke into a run. Reaching her, he knelt down and reached out to her face. She drew back, shaking hard. Her breathing was wheezy and jagged.

“Hey. Hey I ain’t gonna hurt ya.” He squinted trying to make out her face in the dark but he had no such luck. “Hey. Listen,” he said gently. “We’s gonna get you a place to rest, some food to eat and a good job. You ain’t gonna struggle out here no more.” He reached out to her face again. It felt swollen and caked with blood. Jack winced. 

The girl relaxed. Then suddenly she whispered, “Jack,” and fell into him. Jack's heart simultaneously soared and dropped. It sounded like her. But she sounded so weak, felt so thin. Could it be his…

“Ace.” He whispered in disbelief. 

She whimpered. “Jack.” She said again. Oh god. What happened to her? Jack brushed off his shock and helped her to her feet. “J-jack.” She stuttered. 

“Shh,” Jack cooed. “You’re safe now.” She didn’t hear him, because in that moment, she began to topple backwards. Jack caught and steadied he. “Ace! We’ll get ya somewhere warm and clean you up.” He shuddered remembering how her face felt. She didn’t respond. She must’ve passed out from the effort. Carefully, Jack scooped her up in his arms and hurried off in the direction of the lodging house.  
______________________________________________________________________________

She was dead weight. Jack didn’t expect that from someone who probably weighed around 90 pounds, but here they were. And they were being followed. He knew who it was. He knew it was the vile Delancy’s looking for Katherine again. There was no way he was going to let them near her ever again. 

“Morris, ya dimwit! Look harder. She’s gotta be ‘round here somewhere. She couldn’t have gotten that far in her state.”

“Oscar ain’t no way I can see in the dark! You’re the one with the flashlight!”

Jack heard their footsteps getting closer. He walked a little faster, trying not to draw attention to them. Unfortunately, Jack was never lucky. 

“Hey Oscar! Look there!” Oscar turned and shined his light in their direction. Jack held Katherine even closer to his chest. 

He couldn’t run, that would draw even more attention to them. He trudged on, walking a little faster still. He could hear their feet and voices getting closer. So could Katherine. Their voices must’ve triggered a memory in Katherine’s mind because she began to squirm in Jack’s arms. Jack continued to make his way through the alleyways while trying to comfort Katherine. However, they kept getting closer and Jack could actually make out some of their conversation.

“...can’t wait to get her back in there. Show her who should be making the decisions ‘round here. Show her who’s boss.” Katherine began to shake.

“Would ya shut yer trap? We gotta get her back first, then ya can start talkin’.” 

It was quiet for a moment. Then Morris yelled, “It’s her! And Kelly! I told ya!” 

Katherine was practically vibrating now. She opened her mouth to yell something and Jack covered her mouth. He immediately regretted it upon seeing the fear in her eyes at that action. “Shh. I’m sorry.” He whispered. 

Losing the Delancy’s was something he was quite good at. It didn’t take too long until he had left them cursing in the dust. He needed to get Katherine somewhere safe. And soon. He could feel her practically slipping away in his arms, like he was holding a pile of sand. He knew where he could take her. 

Just shy of two hours from when he first found her, he was in Medda’s theatre. He walked down the stairs to find Davey, pale and worried begging Medda to help him find Jack. 

“Davey,” Jack called softly from the bottom of the stairs.

Davey turned to look at him. His face filled with relief as well as Medda’s. The relief soon turned to horror when they saw who he was holding. 

“Is that…” 

Jack nodded grimly. Laying Katherine on a table, he told Medda that medical supplies were needed. He took a pouch out of Katherine’s hands (had she been holding that the whole time?) and laid it down on the chair of the table. He still hadn’t looked at her face (he couldn’t bear to do so yet), but Davey had and he went from pale, to ghost white.

“Oh my god.” He looked back at Jack. “Oh my god Jack. There’s blood all over your shirt.” Jack looked down at his shirt, seeing that it was true. His entire front was stained with blood. Was it hers? Medda hurried back with the medical supplies and got to cleaning Katherine up.

For the first time, Jack finally looked at her. It was a horrible sight to see. She was thinner than he thought and she looked as pale as a corpse. Her underslip was all she was wearing, and it was tattered at the hem. Her legs were covered in bruises shaped like hands that seems to wrap around to the inner part of her thighs. He didn’t know what injuries she had under her dress as she would cry out in terror if anyone tried to remove it. Her arms were horrific. Her right arm was cut up pretty bad, and had glass shards in it. Her right hand was sprained but Medda said that it should heal nicely. Her left arm had a series of deep cuts (twenty to be exact), some of which had begun to scab over showing that time had passed. Jack gritted his teeth knowing that it was no doubt done by Snyder. Moving up to her throat, she had fingerprint shaped bruises around it. Some were a faded purple, but others were dark and fresh. Once again, Jack knew that was done by Snyder and his meaty hands. 

Finally, Medda began to treat her face. It was purple, swollen, cut up and stained with dried blood. Medda attempted to get the swelling to go down, but Katherine flinched so hard at the feeling of cold water, they couldn’t fix it. Once she was cleaned up as best they could, Davey left to tell the boys that Katherine was okay, but she’d need time to recover. He patted Jack on the back and then he was gone.

Once Medda was done, Jack carefully picked her up to carry her to a dressing room, which Medda used as a bedroom when she was incredibly busy with the theatre. However when he picked her up, she screamed an ear shattering scream and began to beat at Jack’s chest. She was so weak, she did no damage. “No! No, no, no, no!” She cried. “Don’t touch me! Please it hurts so bad.” Her last sentence sounded like a whimper, and Jack’s heart broke.

“Shh. It’s okay Ace. I’m here. I ain’t gonna hurt ya.” He finally made his way to the bed in the dressing room and lay Katherine in it. He hesitantly gave her a kiss on the forehead and sat next to the bed while she drifted off into a sleep full of nightmares.

“Jesus Ace,” he said tears pooling in his eyes. “What did they do to ya?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment if you enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine begins to recover and there's a sweet ending to this chapter

Katherine didn’t know where she was. It was dark and she was speeding through the alleyways. She swore she heard the Delancy’s voices. Were they coming for her? She felt a hand clamped over her mouth and she began to panic. It was quickly removed and she heard a soft voice. “Shh. I’m sorry.”

Next thing she knew she was on a surface and there were people touching her. Was she back in the Refuge? Get off! She wanted to yell. But she couldn’t seem to find her voice. She felt someone try to move the scrap of dress she was wearing. She screamed as loud as she could and curled into a ball. Then she felt cold water on her face. She was certain she was going to die. She felt strong arms scoop her up off the hard surface. Where was she going? Where were they taking her? Were they taking her Snyder to be…

The thought scared her so much she began to swing at whoever it was carrying her. “No! No, no, no, no! Please!” She begged. She was sure she was being taken away to Snyder so he could have his way with her and hurt her even more. “It hurts so bad,” She whispered. 

“Shh. It’s okay Ace. I’m here. I ain’t gonna hurt ya.” The voice was familiar and gentle. Am I dying? She thought. She knew she was bleeding a lot, so it wasn’t that far off of a thought. She was placed on a soft surface. I’m definitely dying. I’m sorry Jack. I tried so hard. She slipped away.  
____________________________________________________________________________

 

She dreamt that she and jack were standing on the roof surrounded by millions of bright stars. He held her close and they were slow dancing in the moonlight. Nothing hurt and Katherine could breathe for once. She felt calm with his gentle hands holding her close. She really missed gentle touch. She looked up at his face to revel in its beauty but when she looked up, it wasn’t Jack. It was Snyder. Jack’s gentle touch turned into an iron grip as Katherine struggled to get away. The stars faded, and soon they were in a dark alleyway. Everything hurt and Katherine couldn’t breathe. Snyder bent down to kiss her and Katherine tried to pull away but fell into the hands of the Delancy’s who held her upright. 

Snyder’s hands painfully gripped her cheeks. “Hello again, sweetheart.” He growled. He bent to kiss Katherine and began licking her face. 

“No!” She cried trying to pull away. But the grips on her arms became tighter and tighter. Snyder became more violent and-  
_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Katherine Jostled awake and opened her eyes to a bright room. She was warm for once. Am I in heaven? Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she concluded that she was not in heaven, but in a dressing room of some sort. Why? Suddenly the events of yesterday came back to her. Breaking out of the Refuge, running for her life, Jack finding her in the park...and that was all she remembered. She lifted up her arms although they were heavy. Her arms were wrapped with bandages and her right hand too. It hurt to move her right hand. Wait. Where was her pouch? She attempted to sit up but the room began to spin and pain shot through her entire body. She fell back onto the bed with a cry.

She heard footsteps coming towards the room she was in. She began to panic. Was it Snyder? Or the Delancy’s? Or both? She immediately relaxed when the door opened and revealed Jack holding a glass.

“Hey Katherine. How ya feelin’?” 

“Pouch.” She said weakly.

Jack strode over to the dresser and held the pouch. “Right here safe and sound.” He walked over to her and helped her sit up. Even after she was sat up, he didn’t stop supporting her. His hands were warm. “Drink up,” he handed her the glass. 

Carefully, Katherine dipped her finger into the glass. She flinched when she felt the water was ice cold and pushed the glass away. Jack frowned. 

“Ace, please? Ya gotta drink somethin’.” Katherine shook her head. No more cold water. “Just one sip?” Katherine shook her head again. “Hey, look at me.” Katherine was afraid to look at him terrified that he wouldn’t actually be Jack. Still she did. “Why?” Jack asked gently. 

Katherine pursed her lips. “It’s so cold,” she croaked. Jack nodded and left the room. He shortly returned with a new glass. He held it out to Katherine and she hesitantly dipped her finger in it. It was quite warm. Katherine took the glass from him and cautiously took a sip. Oh my god she didn’t realize how thirsty she was. She downed the whole glass and Jack took it from her and set it on the dresser. 

“Come on,” He said. For some reason, Katherine expected to be yanked violently out of the bed, but Jack carefully lifted her up. She pressed her face into his chest. He smelled like soap. She missed that smell. God, she missed him. He carried her a short distance before bringing her into a bathroom with one window. 

“No!” She cried. She wriggled to get out of his grasp and ended up falling painfully on the floor. She tried to pull herself away, but she was so weak and in so much pain she couldn’t move. Instead she curled up protectively. “Not here. Not again.” She pleaded. 

Jack gently picked her up from the floor and set her on her feet in front of a bathtub while supporting her. The bathtub was full of water. 

“No!” She cried again. “No! I don’t-I can’t-please.” 

Jack held her gently in her arms. “I know, Ace. I know. But we gotta get ya cleaned up ‘fore you get sick.” Katherine shook her head and clung tighter to him. “It’s warm,” he offered. 

“It’s still water I’ll die either way,” Katherine mumbled. Jack was taken aback. Whatever Snyder did was worse than he thought.

“I ain’t gonna let ya die.” Katherine didn’t budge. “Please Katherine. We need to get ya cleaned up and into somethin’ warmer.” Katherine didn’t move. Softly, Jack began to hum a tune. “Down where the violets grow. In a moss covered sunny glad…” Katherine slowly let go of Jack and carefully removed her clothing. Although Jack wanted to fix whatever injuries she had, he didn’t look based on her wishes. She carefully slid into the bathtub, grateful for it’s warmth, yet she was still shaking. Jack saw how scared she was and worked as fast as possible. He washed the dirt and blood off her back and shoulders. Her back was relatively fine, minus a few cuts here and there. That was more than he could say for himself. Carefully, he leaned Katherine back while continuing to hum the tune. She began to panic, and started thrashing in the water. He quickly wet her hair and sat her back up. He took some soap and washed the dried blood out of it and combed the knots out of it. He carefully leaned her back again to wash the soap out. This time she screamed. 

“Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay, see?” He quickly braided her hair and helped her out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her. She was crying. He carried her back to the dressing room and helped her get dressed into a warm skirt and blouse, without looking. Once she was dressed, he lifted her back up and put her in bed, gently kissing her on the forehead. He left the room again and Katherine heard him conversing with someone. He sounded sad. He came back with Miss Medda Larkin behind him. Jack held a bowl and Miss Medda held a box. Katherine connected the dots and realized that she was in a dressing room of Medda’s theatre. 

“Hey sugar,” Medda said warmly. Katherine mustered a weak smile. She sat up, this time without any help and let Medda tend to her arms. She didn’t look at the cuts, she only stared at Jack. She missed his eyes. “I need to get to the rest of the injuries so they don’t get infected.” Katherine jerked away from her. She knew Medda or Jack wouldn’t hurt her, but she felt ashamed. She didn’t want to let anyone know the extent of what happened to her. She didn’t want them thinking she was dirty. 

“Ace,” Jack pleaded with her setting the bowl down. “I know what he’s capable of. I know what you’re goin’ through right now. But I promise ya, we only wanna help ya. We ain’t gonna hurt ya at all. I understand.” Katherine nodded her head although he didn’t understand at all. Sure he’d suffered at the hands of Snyder, but not like this. Carefully, Jack moved her skirt up and Katherine tried not to flinch. Once he lifted her skirt up many bruises were revealed that looked darker and much worse in the light. 

The hand shaped bruised circled around her thighs and came incredibly close to that area. Katherine knew the bruises were from her legs being forced open and she shuddered at the memory. Miss Medda worked quickly moving to her stomach and chest and then she was done. Soon, it was just her and Jack sitting on the bed while Jack spoonfed her soup. 

For once, she wasn’t scared or shaking. She actually felt calm. Jack moved off the bed and brought a chair next to it. He took Katherine’s hand and kissed it. “I love you.” He murmured. Katherine smiled and fell asleep holding his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Snyder is absolutely disgusting and I hate him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever wanna vomit while writing something? Me too

Snyder growled in frustration and slammed his hands on his desk. “You mean to tell me that the bitch escaped with Kelly!?” The Delancy’s stared at their laps. “Do you know what’s at stake here!?” They didn’t respond and Snyder dismissed them with a flick of his hand. 

He didn’t want her leaving. He knew that soon she’d be sitting at her damn typewriter, writing a story about her experiences. It sure would make the front page too. He needed to bring her back and keep her here this time so she couldn’t expose him. He needed to get Kelly and make him suffer for shutting him down in the first place. And he needed money from Pulitzer to keep him from going back to jail, and to keep him on his feet. The original bail money from the Delancy’s wouldn’t be enough if he was caught again. 

His mind wandered to Katherine. He remembered seeing her in Pulitzers office during the strike. He thought she was beautiful then and he still thought she was beautiful now. She’d make a fine wife, if only she could learn to shut her damn trap and obey. Whatever. He’d beat it into her and eventually she’d learn. She was too good for that vile Kelly boy. She deserved someone better, much better. Once he got his hands on her again, he’d make sure she didn’t escape. She’d learn to love and serve him, just as any good wife should do. Snyder smiled to himself, and began to devise a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fluffy chapter we all needed

Jack Kelly was too good to her. He was patient and calm, things Katherine needed desperately. Although he still didn’t know exactly what happened to her, he didn’t ask and Katherine was grateful for that. He stayed by her side most of the time, except when he had to go out and hawk papes. Winter was getting closer, and he had to make sure that he and the boys had enough to eat and a place to sleep. He always came back several times during the day to check on her and bring her a little something to eat. She insisted he didn’t have to, but he wouldn’t listen. At the end of the day, he’d return with a bowl of soup and fresh baked bread made by the wonderful Medda Larkin. Even though she was strong enough to feed herself, Jack still spoonfed her the soup and she didn’t complain. He’d stay with her all night by sleeping in the chair or on the floor. Although she missed his scent and his warmth, Katherine didn’t think she’d be able to handle anyone being so close. He’d wake up with her when she had a nightmare (which was often) and calm her down enough to get her back to sleep. Katherine loved him so much.

She recovered quickly and soon was able to walk without any assistance. The bruises and marks were fading, and Katherine was glad for it. She didn’t like seeing the reminders of what happened to her. She still stayed away from baths and took to washing up in the sink. 

It was November, and yet it was a rare warm day. This was the first day Katherine had been outside since breaking out two weeks ago. It was a Thursday. Snyder wouldn’t be in the city and she was ready to go outside. She brought up the idea to Jack who hesitantly agreed and said he’d be back after selling a few papes. She got herself dressed and waited. She could pass the time by reading the papers that she put in her pouch, but she wasn’t ready. Soon enough Jack came in and offered Katherine his arm. He stuck his nose in the air and Katherine laughed for the first time in weeks. They walked out of Medda’s theatre and onto the streets. Katherine’s spirits immediately lifted. Unlike Jack, she had always loved New York. She had missed it in her nearly two months of being trapped indoors. 

“The fellas are over at Jacobi’s you wanna head over there?”

Katherine smiled at the thought of seeing the boys again. “Of course,” she responded. She turned to face Jack and reached up to his face. He was a bit taller, so she had to stand on her toes. She reached up and her lips met his. She definitely missed this. She didn’t care that people were watching. All that mattered right now was her and Jack. His lips were soft and gentle, just like the rest of him. She could taste the coffee he had that morning. Jack pulled her closer and she smiled against his lips. She reached up and snatched his newsboy cap off his head.

“Hey!” Jack protested.

She stuck her tongue out at him and put the cap on over her curls. Jack looked at her as if she was the sun. Katherine grabbed Jacks hand and pulled him along the busy streets giggling. They stopped in a sunny grassy patch for a moment and kissed again. Despite the warmth, Katherine felt cold. She abruptly broke away from the kiss and looked behind her. There was nobody behind her except for the busy streets of the city.

“You okay?” Jack asked.

Katherine wasn’t okay. She felt scared. But she pushed that feeling away, locked it deep inside her and mustered up a smile. “Yeah I’m fine.” Jack smiled uncertainty. “Come on Jack! The boys are waiting.” Jack let her pull him away and back into the busy city streets.   
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“Ya think they’ll show?” Les wondered aloud. 

“Duh,” Finch teasingly answered. 

“I ain’t seen her in so long! I miss her a lot.” Romeo said. “Wonder if she missed me.” He wiggled his eyebrows. Albert snorted. 

Race sat so close to Spot he was practically in his lap. A bold move. The other boys didn’t judge because what was there to judge? None of them understood the disgusted looks they got from passerby. 

Crutchie and Davey sat quietly conversing. This was the first time they felt this kind of comfort and warmth for nearly two months. The bell at the front of the door rang and there stood Jack. He looked genuinely at peace and it made Davey and Crutchie smile. Behind him Katherine appeared and she was glowing. Davey was shocked at how fast she recovered given the state she was in just two weeks ago.

“Morning gentlemen!” She said rushing into the restaurant. The restaurant erupted with boys yelling in excitement. They all crowded around her and bombarded her with hugs and high fives.

“Katherine! I gotta show ya somethin’!” Katherine looked down at Les who was bouncing with excitement. She let herself be pulled away by Les who then showed her a drawing of her. Her name was written at the bottom in sloppy handwriting, and the drawing featured her as more or less of a stick figure. She loved it. “See! I can draw just like Jack!”

Katherine smiled. “Keep it up and you’ll be better than cowboy in no time.” She winked in Jacks direction. 

Jack stared at her in awe. Davey and Crutchie walked up on either side of him and placed their hands on his shoulder. “She’s somethin’ ain’t she?” Crutchie and Davey nodded in response. “She’s been through so much and two weeks later here she is.”

“She’s the strongest person I know.” Davey said.

“I was only there a week but she’s already doing better than me,” Crutchie marvled. 

 

Katherine looked strong and unbreakable but nobody knew that she wasn’t whole. She was broken beyond repair. She couldn’t think without thinking about what had happened. She always felt like she was being watched. She was scared. Even surrounded by these wonderful, loving boys, she was terrified. Once again she pushed the feeling down, and tried to focus on the happiness and warmth around here. No more Snyder. No more Delancy’s.

She spent the day with several of them, moving from park to park, soaking in the sun. She pulled Jack aside several times to kiss him. Everything was wonderful today. All of her worries seemed far away. Until she saw the Delancy’s. They were at a far enough away distance and they didn’t come near her, but they still looked at her with hate and anger in their eyes. Katherine tried not to show her fear so she busied herself with learning how to play cards from Race. Still, she could feel their eyes on her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and couldn’t help but tensing up. 

“You wanna go home?” It was Jack. Katherine relaxed and nodded. Standing up, she bid goodbye to the rest of the boys. 

Race stood and embraced her in a hug. “Take care of yerself Katherine.” He said. Katherine nodded in response. 

Les circled around Katherine making her laugh. “Bye! See ya tomorrow!” He ran off to continue playing with Romeo, Specs and Elmer. Katherine slipped her hand into Jack’s and they walked off into the evening hustle of the city.   
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Soon, they stood in front of the door of the Pulitzer mansion. Katherine knocked on the door and it opened. There was a servant she had never seen before in her life but they seemed to recognize her. Soon she was rushed into her father's office.

Her father stood from his desk and embraced her in a hug. Katherine fell into his arms. Even though their relationship was complicated, he was still her father. Jack said goodbye to her in the respectful way of a bow and a hand kiss. Exhausted, Katherine made her way to her room and tucked herself into her familiar bed. She was finally safe and home. She smiled to herself and drifted off to sleep.  
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	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giving Snyder info 2 paragraphs at a time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am,,,,,disgusted

He thought about her a lot. Her soft hair and her soft hands. Her soft breasts and how she felt when he got to have her. Her whimpers and cries. He loved it. Sure he didn’t love her, but he loved what she could do for him. Her father had all the money, so if he pushed hard enough, money was bound to come his way. She was involved with Kelly, and if he pushed hard enough, he could have him dead in a second. 

Although his original plan failed, he was bound to make it work this time. She was too smart, too quick, too resourceful. If this was going to work, he had to make her want to stay. Every Thursday he went off on business as he called it. He met with a group of thugs he used to run. They provided him with a bit of money and he promised them that once he got what he wanted, he’d give them money. And now that his motives shifted, he’d let them have something else too once he got her back. He was ready to put his plan into action.


	12. Chapter 12

Katherine rewrapped the bandages on her arm and got dressed for the day. Last night was her first night back home and today was her first day back at work. She was tired. She didn’t sleep well. Although she was home, the terrible thoughts didn’t stop. She swore she could feel Snyder on top of her until she snapped awake and realized it was a nightmare.

Early that morning her father had knocked on her door and told her that she needed to get ready for work. He had already told the Sun that she had become incredibly ill and that’s why she was out for so long. He also told her that Darcy would be her escort to work at about 8am. 

At eight, she went downstairs and saw Darcy waiting for her. He held out his arm and Katherine took it. 

“Glad to see you’re feeling better.” He said plainly. “What’s that?” He asked pointing to the nearly faded marks on her neck. Of course he’d be the only one to see them. Katherine brushed of the question and got him talking about his job. They chattered until they reached Newsies square. Katherine and Darcy were stopped in their tracks by none other than Jack Kelly. 

“Morning Miss,” he said smiling at her in the way that made her blush. “May I interest you in the latest news?” 

Darcy was annoyed but Katherine ignored him and played along. “The paper isn’t out yet,” she said smiling. 

“Well I’d be delighted to deliver it to you, personally.”

Darcy rolled his eyes as Katherine stepped forward. “Well I have a headline for you…” With that, she closed the distance between them and pulled him into a kiss. The Newsies around them hooted and hollered. Neither Jack nor Katherine saw Darcy’s jealous glare. 

All too soon, they had to pull away and continue on with their day. Katherine’s day went as it used to. She’d be given some boring articles to write, she’d write them, and then she’d break for lunch. Today she went to lunch with Darcy and was completely oblivious to his longing stares. After lunch, she’d get the good stories to write. Today's story was about a woman being arrested for protesting for women’s rights.

She usually worked late into the night, but the dark terrified her so she left work right when the sun began to set. She decided against going to see Jack and headed straight home. She was exhausted. She flopped down on her bed and tried to sleep. The sun hadn’t even set and she was fast asleep. Throughout the whole night, nightmares plagued her sleep. Her father woke her up early the next morning and the routine began again.

The entire week went like this. Katherine felt stifled. Routines scared her now. But so did spontaneous changes. She began counting days that passed in her head. She didn’t know how to cope so she made tally marks on a spare sheet of paper. By day seven, her mind was everywhere. Darcy noticed, Jack noticed, and her co workers noticed too. Her nightmares had been getting worse and she couldn’t take it. Her thoughts were too loud, so she left work in the middle of the day mumbling something about not feeling well. 

She searched the streets for Jack. It was a chilly November day and she could use his warmth. She found him in the first place she looked, the Bowery. Before speaking, she stood and watched him paint. He moved with such grace and the things he created were so beautiful. 

“Hey,” she said lamely. He turned around in shock and upon seeing her he smiled. He set down his brushes and wiped his hands before embracing her. 

“You okay?” He asked, kissing her on the forehead. 

“No,” She whined into his chest. “Everything is so loud. I’m scared of everything. I feel like I’m being watched all the time. Darcy isn’t any help and I don’t know how to cope.” 

Jack held her close. “I know Ace, I know. I know this isn’t much, but it gets easier with time.” Katherine groaned and Jack hugged her tighter. “If it helps at all, I love you.” And they stood there. Two kids, dealing with their inner turmoil and fighting to survive, holding on to each other for dear life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine's life should be returning to normal, right?

On the night of day seven, Katherine felt off. Something was wrong. She hated feeling like this all the time. She tucked herself into bed but she couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned all night. It was maybe around three in the morning when she heard something outside her window. She curled up in her bed as a shadow passed in front of her window. Someone was on her fire escape. Please let it be Jack, she thought. She was petrified in fear. The glass shattered and she screamed.  
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His plan was quite simple actually. Everyone knew where the Pulitzers lived. It was only a matter of finding Katherine’s room. He had several of the thugs and the Delancy’s watching her and her every move. He even had one apply for a job as a servant in the Pulitzer house. Tonight, he and a few of the thugs followed her home. They knew which room was hers thanks to their spy. 

At around three in the morning, they climbed up the stairs of the fire escape that led to her room. They finally reached it and his stomach flipped in anticipation. He was so close to getting what he wanted. He couldn’t wait to kiss her. He ordered the thugs to smash the window and they did. The glass shattered. She screamed. He smiled.  
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Pulitzer knew Katherine wasn’t the same. Whatever had happened had changed her. He didn’t ask, and she didn’t seem keen on talking. Pulitzer knew she was still seeing the Kelly boy, and he tried to stop that by setting her up with Darcy. He was a nice young man and Darcy seemed to have taken a liking to her. He wanted to ask about Darcy, but Katherine looked absolutely exhausted every time she came home. In fact, each day she looked worse and worse, so he didn’t push it. 

It was around three in the morning and he was trying to sleep when he heard glass shatter. An ear shattering scream followed. He jumped out of bed.

“No! Please! Father!” 

Pulitzer moved as fast as he could in the dark and in his old age. “Katherine?” He called. Finally he reached her room and flung the door open. Usually he would’ve knocked, but not this time. Katherine was gone. Her room was empty and glass lay all over the floor. He ran over to the shattered window and peered out of it. The only thing he saw was a shadow slipping away into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snyder is gross

Katherine woke up in a dark room. She was shaking but she wasn’t cold. How did this happen again? She sat up, not in any pain for once. What was going on? Of course, just as she sat up the door opened and there stood the very man who plagued her nightmares. She began to shake harder than she thought possible. 

Snyder smugly strode over to her. Katherine tried to back away, but was soon met with a wall. Snyder reached her and cupped her face into his hands. Katherine noted how rough he was when he touched her. Even though he didn’t have the callouses Jack had, his hands were painful. 

“Hello again, pretty.” He said making chills run down Katherine’s spine. “We meet again I see. Do you believe it’s fate?” Katherine flinched. “Shh,” he said. “It’s okay you’re all mine now.” Katherine fought to pull away from his grip but he only gripped her tighter. He bent down and kissed her. Katherine’s stomach churned.

“Don’t worry,” He whispered. “We’ll get rid of that vile Kelly and then it can just be you and me.” Katherine couldn’t help it. She began to cry. Snyder kissed the tears off her face. It was by no means a romantic gesture, it was a gesture of possessiveness. In his eyes, she belonged to him. “My sweet thing,” he said. “Don’t be sad. I know it’s a big change, but it’s for the best.”

“What do you want from me?” Katherine demanded to know.

Snyder smiled. “My dear, I don’t want anything. I just want you.” He enveloped her into a hug, although Katherine wouldn’t describe it as such. To her, it was like he was letting her know that he could devour her in seconds if he wanted. Katherine tensed at the contact. 

“All I want is for you to stay here with me.” He responded. It would be expected that someone’s voice was gentle when requesting these things, but Snyder’s voice was rough and demanding. 

“No!” Katherine yelled, attempting to push herself away from him and getting a little distance.

A dark look crossed Snyder’s face. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head towards him. She let out a cry. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.” Katherine protested and kicked and fought, but it wasn’t enough. She felt his weight on top of her. Snyder wanted her to scream for him, but she refused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy was angry.

Darcy was angry. He’d stopped at Pulitzer's house to walk Katherine to work, and instead of being met by Katherine at the door, he was met by Pulitzer. He looked tired when he told Darcy that Katherine was gone. Darcy questioned him furiously, but got nothing out of it. Pulitzer just shook his head and repeated that she was gone. He asked once more, but Pulitzer just shut the door in his face.

Now, Darcy was on his way to the lodging house to talk to Jack Kelly. Maybe Jack had something to do with it. Darcy knew he was being irrational, but he was so angry and worried,he didn’t really care. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. In the months that Katherine was gone, it was hard to find Jack anywhere. And the marks on her neck? Jack grew up on the street, it was possible that he had extremely rough hands. Although there was a little voice in his head that told him that this wasn’t reasonable, he pushed it away. Katherine was missing and he needed answers.

Finally reaching the lodging house, he huffed watching his breath climb the walls before knocking. The door opened and a child stood before him.

“Hey Jack! Fancy Pants’ here!.”

Darcy was taken aback. Fancy Pants? 

“I’m comin’, I’m comin’.” Darcy frowned at the voice. He contorted his face into an angry glare when Jack reached the door. 

“Mornin’,” Jack said. Darcy nodded in response. 

“Mr. Kelly,” he said a bitterly as he could muster.

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Jack responded, a playful grin on his face.

Darcy ignored his comment. “I need to speak with you.” Jack frowned and let him inside. They walked up the steps and up a ladder. Darcy realized that they were on the roof. 

“Sorry ‘bout the mess,” he said picking up pencils and paintbrushes. Darcy had no idea Jack was an artist. “What’s up?” He asked Darcy.

“Would you happen to know where Katherine is?”

Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. “I assumed she’d be with ya.” 

Darcy shook his head. “I went to walk her to work this morning, and her father said she was gone.” Jack tensed at this news and his eyes grew wider. Maybe Darcy’s suspicions had been right. “I was just wondering if you could give me her location.”

Darcy watched Jack closely. He set down the tube which held all of his art and art supplies and clenched his fists. He quickly unclenched them and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he put his face in his hands. He looked upset to Darcy. Upset and guilty. 

“What happened to her?” Jack asked, his voice barely a whisper. 

Darcy blinked. “Pulitzer said she was gone,” Jack opened his mouth to ask another question but Darcy spoke over him. “That’s all he told me.”

“Shit,” Jack cursed. He moved down the ladder and down the stairs out onto the street. Darcy followed. Jack was incredibly difficult to keep up with. He was in shape, probably more in shape than Darcy would ever be. Was that why Katherine liked him so much? Darcy shook his head. Katherine wasn’t a shallow person. Darcy did his best to keep up with Jack through the cold, busy city streets, but Jack always stayed a few steps ahead of him. Darcy reached the Pulitzer house several seconds after Jack. Jack was expertly climbing the fire escape to a room. 

“Where are you going?” Darcy yelled up at him.

“Katherine’s room,” he replied. Darcy frowned. It shouldn’t shock him that he knew where Katherine’s room was but it still stung. Soon, Jack was standing next to Darcy again with a look in his eyes that Darcy had never seen before. It frightened him.

“Where is she, Kelly?” He demanded. 

Jack closed his eyes and shook his head. “Can’t tell ya.” He said. 

Darcy looked at him in shock. “What do you mean you can’t tell me?”

Jack glared at him. “I said I can’t tell ya.”

“But why?”

“Because ya might do somethin’ stupid and get yerself killed.” 

Darcy was so angry with the lack of answers and the secretiveness, he reared back his arm and punched Jack in the jaw. Hard.

“Ow!” Jack cried stumbling backwards. “Why’d ya do that for?”

Darcy grabbed him by the shirt. “Because you know where she is and you aren’t telling me. Would you telling me get in the way of your plans or something?”

It took Jack a moment to understand what Darcy was implying, but once he got it he glowered at Darcy but didn’t say anything. This was all Darcy needed to confirm his suspicions. Jack pulled himself out of Darcy’s grasp and walked away.

Katherine, Darcy thought. I’m going to help you. I promise. He didn’t know where to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you thought!


	16. Chapter 16

Jack was angry. Katherine had been taken from him by Snyder again and Darcy thought it was his fault. He stormed his way back to the lodging house and flopped down on the worn couch.

“What’s up Jack?” It was Crutchie. His leg was acting up because of the cold weather so he was the only one not selling. Well him and Jack.

“It’s Katherine.” He murmured. “Glass to her window is all shattered. She ain’t there and her father said she was just gone.” 

Crutchie limped over to Jack and sat down next to him. “Maybe she’ll turn up?”

Jack shook his head. “When you escape from Snyder and he catches you again it’s ten times worse than before.”

Crutchie tried to console Jack again. “She didn’t look too bad…” he trailed off when he saw the look in Jack’s eyes.

“You wasn’t there when we first found ‘er Crutchie. She was so thin. Bruised everywhere. Half dead. If she goes back, she’ll really die.” 

Crutchie was silent for a moment. He didn’t know how to respond. He’d never seen his brother so distressed before. “Maybe you could ask Pulitzer to open an investigation.” Jack furrowed his brow. “Ya know, they did break into his home. I think it’s okay to call the bulls to help Kath.” Suddenly Crutchie was enveloped into a bone crushing hug. 

“Crutchie you’re a genius!” He stood and ruffled Crutchies hair before leaving Crutchie all alone.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter for you guys! Also be warned, the stuff that goes on in this chapter is more graphic than it has been before

Snyder held Katherine’s face in his hands. He looked her over, studying her face. Katherine felt as though she was being devoured by his greedy eyes and yearned to break free. 

“Look into my eyes, dear.” Snyder growled. She did. “Do you want to stay yet?” 

Katherine glared at him for one long minute before spitting in his face. Snyder let go of her face letting her fall to the floor. “Boys!” He called. The Delancy’s entered the room. “I’m giving you another chance. Do what you will with this one.” He picked her off the floor by her hair. “She needs to learn some respect.” She was shoved into the hands of the Delancy’s.

Although she didn’t want to be, she was scared. She would always refuse doing what Snyder wanted because she was never going to give into him. She knew that her decision was going to get her beaten within an inch of her life again. 

She was right. Blow after blow, jeer after jeer, nasty slur after nasty slur, she still didn’t give in. She refused to show any kind of manners to these pigs. It felt like forever until they finally left Katherine alone in the room on the floor coughing up blood. She tired to breathe in but it was too late. She slipped away.  
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She woke up a bit later. Her stomach was growling, her throat was dry and her head hurt. The room was almost completely dark except for one light bulb hanging from the ceiling. She propped herself up on her elbows painfully and pushed herself to a wall. She looked down and saw that her dress was flipped up and there was stuff leaking out of her. She dry heaved and began to cry.

She knew it was happening all this time, but this made is so much more real. How sick did a person have to be for someone else's pain to bring them pleasure? How sick did someone have to be to want to keep someone with them against their will? 

The door burst open.

“What do you want?” Katherine demanded. 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Snyder said. “I see we still haven’t learned.” He moved towards her and Katherine scurried away. Snyder was slow, but in her state she was slower. Eventually he had her by her hair and she was on the ground. He dragged her through the Refuge and down a flight of stairs. It was so painful and Katherine screamed obscenities the entire way down.

Snyder grabbed her by her now unbandaged arm (which also hurt) and tied a chain around it. It was tight. Katherine realized what was happening and began to panic. She fought and kicked, but that only earned her a hard slap to the face. While she was still dazed, Snyder finished his job of chaining her to a wall.

“Now, I’m going to ask again. Do you want to stay yet?”

Katherine inhaled. “Beat me to a pulp. Starve me until I’m nothing but a skeleton.” She choked and sputtered on her next sentence, “Use me until I can’t resist anymore.” She took in a deep breath, “But I will never, and I mean never, willingly stay with you. I’ll fight and resist you until I escape or until I die. You’re a disgusting, vile human and you deserve nothing but death.” 

Snyder glared at her for a bit before walking out of the room. Katherine glanced around the room and realized with a shudder that she was in the basement. Jack hadn’t told her much about the basement, only how he got out. It brought back too many memories for him. 

Snyder returned shortly with a bucket. He threw the contents of the bucket all over Katherine. It was water, cold water. Katherine screamed thinking she was going to die, but soon it was all over. 

“You bitch!” Snyder yelled at her throwing down the bucket. He moved towards her and put his hands around her throat. Katherine flinched at the contact. “I’m done being nice with you! You will learn to hold your tongue and obey me!” He increased the pressure around her throat. “Now if you want me to stop, you’ll have to beg.” Honestly, Katherine would rather die. “Say, ‘please sir’.” He instructed. Katherine refused and the pressure got tighter. “Say it!” He spat. 

Katherine never, ever would’ve said it until Snyder said this, “Once you die, I’ll just do the same to Kelly and the rest of those rats.” 

“P-please sir,” Katherine sputtered. She felt disgusted.

Snyder let go of her throat. “Good girl,” he cooed. Katherine cried.

This went on for days, and even weeks before Katherine was finally let free of the chains. She fell to the ground grateful to be able to move again. She was so exhausted she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.  
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More days passed until Katherine was allowed back upstairs to her old, windowless room. She’d overheard the Delancy’s, Snyder and a few unfamiliar voices talking about their plan to bring Jack here and then murder him. Katherine was panicking. On one hand, she couldn’t swear herself to Snyder, but on the other hand she couldn’t let Jack die. Snyder opened the door and walked in. 

“I’m leaving for a while,” he said. “I’ll have a surprise for you when I get back. Be good my pet.” With that he kissed her. Katherine wanted to throw up, but she didn’t have much to throw up. 

It was then Katherine knew what she needed to do. Once Snyder broke the kiss she spoke, “I’ll stay with you.” Snyder was taken aback.

“Just don’t touch Jack. Please.” She looked up into his soulless eyes. “I’ll do whatever you want.” She said as innocently as she could muster. The look in his eyes almost made her regret it. Almost. 

“How could I say no to that face.” He said squishing her cheeks with one hand. Katherine couldn’t believe it worked. She didn’t have that much time to think about it though because soon she was pushed onto her back. Her legs were forced open and then she felt it. It was one of the worst feelings in the world to her and she wanted him out. But fighting him would do no good, he’d just go and hurt Jack. 

“Look in my eyes,” he moaned. She did. He kissed her. “Tell me you love this.” 

Katherine shut her eyes only to have them forced open again. She didn’t love this. It hurt and it was absolutely disgusting. But this is what she had to do to keep Jack alive. “I love it,” she whispered. 

“Good girl,” Snyder cooed. Katherine cried.  
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By the time he was done, Katherine was absolutely exhausted and thoroughly disgusted. She didn’t even realize that Snyder had pulled a knife out of his pocket. Katherine began to panic at the glint of the blade.

“Shh,” Snyder said. “This is a necessity for my new wife.” Katherine tensed at the word ‘wife.’ She was only seventeen! 

Holding her down, Snyder took her right arm and began to carve something. It was so incredibly painful, Katherine screamed the whole time. Her screams must’ve gotten him going, because he decided to have her again. Katherine couldn’t live like this. She needed to get out and fast,

“What day is it?” Katherine mumbled as sweetly as possible. The gears in her mind were turning. 

Snyder chuckled and brushed a stray hair out of her face. “It’s Wednesday, my dear.”

“Hm,” she responded hoping he wouldn’t catch on. He didn’t, he only kissed her again and whispered vile things he’d consider sweet into her ear. 

“Tell me you love me.” He demanded.

“I love you,” Katherine responded.  
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He finally left, and Katherine was alone. She watched the door lock. Her arm stung and she tore off the hem of her nightgown, wrapped it around her arm and held it close to her body.

“Jack,” she sobbed falling onto the ground. She couldn’t believe the vile things Snyder made her say and do. All she wanted was to be in Jack’s arms safe and warm. That thought lulled her into a nice peaceful sleep.  
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There she was, standing next to Jack on the roof of the Lodging House. His hand rested on top of the rail, and Katherine slid her hand into his. It was September. Katherine was writing and article on sex slavery and the mistreatment of children by government facilities. She needed a primary source to gather information from, and Jack had agreed.

“They’s real evil Ace,” he had said. “A little fella escaped and they beat him so bad he died the next morning.” He teared up. “I couldn’t save him. I thought it was my fault. But kids, we shouldn’t be thinking’ that way. We shouldn't hafta worry about takin’ a bullet for others so’s they can live. We should be out playin’ and havin’ fun but we can’t. Because of them.” Katherine tok her hand out of his and wrote down what he just said. 

“Jack,” She said gently. “How did you escape?”

He smiled a bitter smile. “Ya see, Snyder decided to keep me in a side room off his office. No windows, one light bulb dangling from the ceiling. The door had a weak lock on it. Took a shard of glass from off the floor and picked it easy. There was a window behind his desk so I opened it and climbed out of it.” He shrugged. “Katherine,” he said.

“Yes?” She responded. 

“It ain’t fair.”

“It’s not.” 

“He was so young, Kath. He told me he had a mother and a father. He had folks. He went to get candy from the store, sat on a bench and ate it. Snyder arrested him for that. He never came home to his folks.” Tears pricked at Katherine’s eyes. 

“Jack,” she said. “I know nothing can bring him back, but I promise I’ll do my best to make sure nothing like this will ever happen again.” Jack nodded and placed his head on Katherine’s. That was the night before she was taken by Snyder for the first time.  
____________________________________________________________________________  
Katherine awoke to quiet the next day. She realized that she was in the room next to Snyder's office Although everything hurt and she could tell she was weak, she decided that now would be the best time to attempt. Remembering her dream (which actually happened) she felt around on the floor for any stray pieces of glass. She found none. They must’ve been all swept up after Jack escaped. 

Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair. They got caught on a few stupid hair pins. Wait. Carefully, Katherine stumbled over to the door and stuck the pin into the lock. Katherine knew how to pick locks since she was little. She was quite a troublemaker growing up. She didn’t need to do much as the door swung open immediately. The office was empty and the window was to her right.

With great effort, she moved his chair and stood on it opening the window. She climbed out of it and found herself stumbling through the snow. She stumbled from alleyway to alleyway trying to find her way back to Jack. 

“Katherine?” She heard behind her. She didn’t recognize the voice at first so she ran. Or tried to run. She ended up falling face first, her tears melting the snow. The steps got closer and she felt a hand on her face. 

“Oh god Katherine, you’re burning up!” 

She turned over and caught a glimpse of the person’s face. “Darcy?” She asked hoarsely. 

“I’m going to kill him Katherine. Don’t worry, you’ll be okay.” Katherine began to mumble something but she was too tired to remember anything.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Enjoy!

Everything was going according to plan for him. He’d gotten the girl. It didn’t take as long as he thought it would. She told him that she’d never stay with him a few weeks ago. Then when the possibility of Jack being hurt crossed her mind, she agreed like that. Sure, she wasn’t staying for him, but at this point he didn’t really care. He’d promised her that he wouldn’t hurt Jack, but that was a lie. He’d let him live a few weeks longer before going after him. Maybe he’d been too careless. She was incredibly smart after all. Maybe she had a plan. He brushed off the thought.

The old man had also given him money. He’d broken Pulitzer, and that was something to celebrate. The sum of money was incredible and the note attached to it said, “Please, bring my daughter back.” Snyder laughed when he read this. Little did Pulitzer know that his daughter was to be his wife. Besides, Pulitzer had given him money for her, he basically owned her now. The thought made him smile.

All he needed to do was to kill Jack. Get rid of the little rat once and for all. He didn’t want to lose Katherine’s trust, so he decided to wait a bit longer before finishing that task. 

He stumbled into his office (as he said, he needed to celebrate) wanting some company from his new wife. Wife. He liked the way that sounded. He liked having someone that was his and his only. He stumbled into his office to see that the door to the side room she stayed in was ajar. That was odd. He looked and saw that the window was open as well. His desk chair sat under it. He sprinted into the room and pulled the cord to turn on the singular lightbulb. The room was empty, and she was gone.


	19. Chapter 19

Jack had been trying to get Pulitzer to open an investigation for weeks, but he refused to see him. Someone had reported something to the Bulls and they searched the Lodging House every night. They scared some of the younger Newsies especially Romeo.

Another three weeks passed, November left and took Les and Davey’s parents with it. Jack needed to work for their sake, so he pushed through. She was always on his mind though. He knew he’d get her out. But how?  
_____________________________________________________________________________  
It had been three weeks, and no one could find where Katherine was. His reporter instincts kicked in and he went through his options. None of the Newsies would give him answers, so he took it upon himself to investigate. 

Pulitzer wouldn’t let him in, so he took to climbing the fire escape and figuring out which room was Katherine’s. It wasn’t too hard as he soon figured out hers was the one with the broken glass. He was shocked that Pulitzer did nothing to cover it up and forget it. Or maybe this was just too hard to forget. 

Carefully, Darcy climbed into Katherine’s room and had a look around. It was the middle of the day, yet it was absolutely freezing in her room. He snooped around a while before coming across a sheet of paper on her desk. On it there were seven tally marks. Why seven? Darcy wondered. The corners of the paper were wrinkled with tears and words were scribbled all over the page. 

Her handwriting had always been difficult to make out, but he could tell that this said, “No more. Be quiet. Get them out.” Intrigued, Darcy flipped the paper over. On the back he found written over and over “No Refuge.” Darcy set the paper down more confused than he was before. 

He looked around some more before he found a poorly sewn pouch made out of rough fabric. Inside of the pouch, there were several pieces of paper. He looked inside the pouch and pulled the papers out. Katherine’s handwriting covered the pages. These were especially hard to make out. He leafed through the pages attempting to read them. He could make out a few words like “cold”, “Snyder”, “breathe”, “blood”, “pain”, “Jack”, and “home.” Other than that the pages were impossible to decipher. He didn’t know what to make of this.

He placed them back into the pouch and set them back down on the desk before climbing back out the window and onto the streets. He let his feet take him wherever. Before he knew it, he was among one of the many unknown alleyways of the city. He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was setting. How long had he been walking? For the first time he realized how cold he was. He’d been walking through the snow for hours after all. Frowning, he turned to leave until he heard what sounded like wheezing.

Following the sound, he stumbled upon yet another alleyway. He looked ahead of him and saw a person stumbling their way through the alley. At first he took them to be a drunk until he caught a glimpse of the hair. Oh god. Could it be…

“Katherine?” He called out. She heard him and attempted to run forwards. Unfortunately she was too weak and collapsed face first into the snow. Worried, Darcy ran faster to catch her. He finally reached her and saw that she was shaking. He carefully turned her over and was shocked at what he saw. Her face was littered with bruises and she was so thin. Darcy reached out to her face and felt that it was wet. She’d been crying and it shattered his heart. He touched her face and felt the amount of heat it radiated. 

“Oh god Katherine, you’re burning up!” He cried. 

“Darcy?” Katherine asked hoarsely.

Tears of anger blurred Darcy’s vision as he took of his coat and wrapped it around her. “I’m going to kill him Katherine. Don’t worry you’ll be okay.” He carefully picked her up and held her close to his chest in order to preserve warmth. Katherine began to ramble.

“I protected him you know. He wanted to kill Jack but I wouldn’t let him. He wanted money too, but he didn’t get any. I love him, you know? I’d go through that a million times again just for him. I was willing to stay with him just so Jack would never have to face him again. I love him, Darcy. Does he love me too, you think? You do crazy things for the people you love…” She trailed off and Darcy realized she was asleep. 

Darcy sighed. The voice in his head had been right all along. This wasn’t Jack’s doing. He had an apology to deliver later, but first he needed to bring Katherine somewhere safe. Think Darcy. He told himself. What’s the name of the theatre Katherine loves? The Bowery. He followed his footsteps out of the alleyways and started down the street to the Bowery. He knew he had to be quick as it was after sunset and thugs would likely be out. He made it to the theatre without incident and let himself in. 

Upon opening the door, he saw none other than Jack Kelly, paining on a giant canvas. There were so many colors and they all blended together to form a starry night overlooking the city. 

“Kelly,” He said from the door, shutting it behind him. 

Jack jumped and turned to see Darcy standing there. His eyes widened when he saw Katherine. “Medda!” He cried. He quickly moved over to Darcy and carefully took Katherine out of his arms. She mumbled something under her breath and Jack shushed her. “It’s alright, Ace.” He said.

A woman who he assumed to be Medda came hustling in with a box. Jack placed Katherine on the table and Medda opened the box revealing medical supplies. Jack gingerly moved Darcy’s coat off of her and flung it to the floor. Darcy didn’t complain. He was too shocked seeing the state that Katherine was in. Her entire body was covered with bruises from head to toe and there was dried blood everywhere. There was a piece of cloth around her right arm that Medda was removing. 

“Who did this?” Darcy whispered. 

His answer unfortunately came from what the piece of cloth covered. Medda gasped. Darcy moved over to see what they were looking at and was revolted and outraged by what he saw. On her arm, there were cuts made by an extremely sharp knife. S-N-Y-D-E-R. Snyder. The name sounded familiar but Darcy couldn’t put his finger on it. He looked up and saw Jack’s eyes fill with angry tears. 

“No,” he whispered. 

Katherine screamed as Medda attempted to clean the wound. “Boys, I need a little space. You can stay, but I just need room.”

Darcy and Jack stepped over to the side and watched them from a distance. They could see her trembling from where they stood. Finally Darcy spoke, “I’m sorry I blamed you for this. I-”

“I get it. You was angry and needed someone to blame. It ain’t no big deal now.” Darcy blinked back tears and whispered his thanks as Katherine let out an ear shattering scream. Medda tried to calm her but Katherine was in full panic mode.

“I’ve never seen her like this,” Darcy mumbled. Jack frowned. 

“Honey you’re burning up!” Medda exclaimed. “We need to get a doctor.”

“No! No! No!” Katherine cried clutching Medda’s arm. “If you call a doctor they won’t believe me! They’ll send me to the madhouse! They’ll probably think Jack did it!” Darcy averted his eyes.

Medda tried to reason with her. “Honey, Jack has an alibi. If we don’t get you a doctor you might not make it.” 

Katherine shook her head violently. “I’ll be in all the papers! Everyone wants to know what happened to Pulitzer's daughter. Nobody is going to stay silent on this and he’ll just come after me again.” Tears streamed down her face.

Darcy nodded to confirm this before asking, “What did happen, Katherine?” 

She stared at him with what he’d describe as a blank expression before cautiously replying, “Nothing.” Darcy pursed his lips. Katherine was beaten half to death, had words carved into her arms and bruises all over her body. It wasn’t nothing! Still, he didn’t push her. He just nodded his head and averted the conversation. 

“Katherine is right,” Darcy said. “But Miss Medda is correct as well.” He paused mulling over the idea in his head. “I could maybe get someone. They’d swear to confidentiality and if they so much as say where they were they’re losing their job.” Medda nodded along with this and as did Jack. Katherine lay on the table staring blankly at the ceiling. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He clapped Jack on the back and kissed Miss Medda’s hand. He walked over to Katherine and took her hand in his. He couldn’t believe that this had happened to her. To the daughter of Pulitzer. The woman he’d come to adore as more than a friend. “Goodnight, Katherine.” He said softly giving her a gentle kiss on the hand.

“Thank you, Darcy.” She whispered. Darcy nodded once, grabbed his coat off the floor and left stepping out into the freezing night. He would help Katherine and this time he knew how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated!


	20. Chapter 20

Jack watched Katherine as she tossed and turned in her sleep coughing and muttering things he couldn’t make out. Occasionally she’d let out a sad whimper that made Jack want to reach out and hold her. But he couldn’t. All he could do was watch as she fought Snyder and the Delancy’s in her nightmares. 

She woke several times in the night and let out an ear shattering scream to which Jack held her hand and coaxed her back to sleep. She’d go into awful coughing fits where her face would turn red and she couldn’t breathe. She was in this feverish state for days. Jack could hardly get her to drink water, let alone eat and Darcy hadn’t come back with the doctor yet. He was beginning to worry that he disappeared on them when a sharp knock came on the door of the dressing room.

“Come in,” he said not taking his eyes off Katherine. 

“Jack, this is the Doctor. He’s a friend from uptown. That’s why it took so long.” Jack turned around and nodded once respectfully. Darcy moved over to Katherine who was in a rare moment of peaceful sleep. “How’s she holding up?” Darcy asked looking at her with something in his eyes. Jack couldn’t tell what the look was.

“Not good,” he responded. “Kickin’ and tossin’ all night. Coughin’ real bad. She ain’t had nothin’ to eat in God knows how long. She’s gettin’ worse.” The doctor strode forwards and Darcy moved out of the way. Jack stayed where he was. He reached out and carefully shook Katherine. “Ace,” he said gently. “Doctors’ here. He’s gonna get ya fixed up.”

Katherine’s eyes fluttered open and she looked around in confusion as she coughed again. Jack gently brushed a stray hair out of her face and Katherine flinched violently at the action. Jack frowned. 

“Alright Doctor, be careful.” Jack instructed. The Doctor nodded his head and began by checking for a fever. He started by touching her forehead.

“Goodness she’s burning up!” He exclaimed. He then moved his hands down to her cheeks and Katherine recoiled from him. The doctor scribbled something down on his notepad. Noting the bruises on her throat he said, “I’m going to have to check her throat. She might have severe damage.” Jack swallowed and nodded his head. He took Katherine’s hand again. 

“You’s gonna be alright Ace,” he whispered comfortingly. The doctor smiled warmly.

Gently he reached out to her throat and attempted to check it. The second Katherine saw someone coming for her throat, she jerked back and screamed a terrifyingly shrill scream, which caused her to go into another fit of coughing. She tried climbing off the bed but fell into Jack’s arms instead. 

“No!” She sobbed into Jack’s chest. 

“Shh,” Jack coaxed. “Ace he’s gotta check your throat. It could be damaged real bad and we ain’t got no other way of knowing.” 

“No!” Katherine repeated. Jack sighed.

“Honey, I know it ain’t fun, but it’s gotta happen.” She wasn’t budging. “I’m sorry Ace.” He said. He laid her back down on the bed and motioned Darcy over to hold her arms down. Jack moved over to her legs. “Make it quick,” he said to the doctor. The doctor nodded his head and moved at lighting speed. The examination took no more than twenty seconds, but each second felt like an eternity. Katherine was in so much pain. Tears streamed down her face in earnest and she kicked and screamed the whole time. Once the doctor was finished, Jack and Darcy let go and Katherine curled into a ball coughing, hiccuping and sobbing. 

Jack saw Darcy looking at her with a look that mirrored his own heartbreak. Oh. Suddenly it dawned on Jack. Darcy was in love with Katherine. This information wasn’t important now, so Jack shook off his shock and began to coax Katherine out of her curled up state. She came out after a while and the doctor continued to examine her. Everything else went without incident (he was able to clean her arm as well, which had gotten infected) until he got to her thighs. Jack assumed Katherine was too tired to fight so she just cried while saying “No, no, no!” Over and over again. 

The doctor worked his way higher and Katherine began to panic. “I didn’t want it!” She cried. “I didn’t want it!” The doctor looked as if he was blinking back tears as he scribbled something else on his notepad. Katherine continued to cry out. 

“Well she had moderate damage to her throat, ribs and lungs nothing that can’t be healed with time. She also has a fever, which I’m sure you knew. But she also has a respiratory illness. The illness can be fixed with this medicine,” he handed Jack a bottle of liquid. “Twice daily and it should be gone in no time. She’s also suffering from serious mental trauma, which I’m once again sure you knew.” Jack nodded taking all of this in. The doctor lowered his voice. “Whatever happened, and whoever did this, I’d suggest taking the issue to court.” The doctor turned to leave but Jack stopped him.

“Hey doc,” Jack said. “What was that last part all about? Her cryin’ ‘she didn’t want it’?” 

The doctor blinked, shocked that he didn’t know. “I doubt the lady would appreciate me disclosing the information. With her trauma it would be difficult to fix her injuries. She’ll tell you when she’s ready,” was the only answer he could offer. Darcy and Jack shared confused expressions before Darcy escorted the doctor out. “Hopefully she tells you soon.” The doctor said. “I’ll be in town.” With that, he left.

Katherine’s cries and mumbling quieted down and Jack gave her her dose of medicine. He stroked her hair and told stories about the boys. She didn’t laugh or respond at all really. He continued to tell them anyways until she fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Another three weeks gone. Another three weeks spent recovering from whatever physical injury and illness caused by Snyder. That name had been in her head and nightmares for months at this point. It was the new year, the brand new century, and she spent it in a dressing room bed hiding away. She wasn’t in the dressing room the whole time though. Medda had put on her Christmas show, and she went to watch it with Jack. It was nice to pretend that everything was fine for an hour or two, but Katherine knew that nothing would ever be “fine” again.

Katherine had been sitting on the bed of the dressing room staring blankly at the wall when Jack came in. 

“Ace,” he said. Katherine didn’t look at him. “Can you tell me exactly what happened while you was there?” She sucked in a breath. She knew it was coming. She knew she couldn’t hide from this forever, but she wasn’t ready.

“No, not yet.” She whispered. She heard Jack huff from beside her. 

“Ace, I would love to wait ‘till yous ready, but we can’t wait longer.” 

Katherine sighed and moved off the bed, still not looking at Jack. “Take me home,” was all she said.

They arrived at the Pulitzer mansion and Katherine looked up at the window that led to her room. The glass still hadn’t been replaced and she couldn’t help but wonder why. She began to climb up to her room. She didn’t know if her father was home or not but that didn’t stop her from going anyways. 

She stepped through her window shuddering at the memory it gave her. She walked over to her desk and picked up the pouch that she’d been avoiding for so long. She stared at it for a long minute before removing the papers. She was shaking, but Jack was right. She had to do this. The Doctor thought she didn’t hear him, but she did. He was right as well. It was a good idea to take this to court or wherever it ended up as soon as possible. The sooner the better.

She motioned for Jack to sit on her bed. She took Jacks hand, a deep breath and began to read. She shook as she read. The memories were so incredibly jarring, that she couldn’t help but cry. Jack rubbed circles on the back of her hand to offer comfort but Katherine couldn’t look at him. 

She finished the last page trembling and sobbing. Jack was there, rubbing her back telling her that everything was okay. His voice sounded teary yet Katherine couldn’t look at him. “It gets worse,” she whispered. She began to speak and slipped into her memory. 

She talked about Snyder wanting to marry her and claiming that he owned her. She talked about the carving of his name in her skin and the constant violations she went through. That was the hardest to talk about.

All her life, she’d been told that it was necessary to save herself for her husband. Even though she didn’t quite believe in that anymore, she still felt wrong and unclean. 

“And the worst part is,” she sobbed. “Is that I willingly stayed with him when he asked. Well, not at first but…” She trailed off and finally looked at Jack for the first time.

Tears streamed down his face and he looked absolutely heartbroken. Katherine’s heart shattered. “Why?” He whispered, hurt. “Why’d ya stay?”

Katherine pursed her lips together. “Because if I didn’t-” She paused and thought about what she was saying before starting again. “Jack, I didn’t want to be there. I stayed with him to protect you.”

“What?” Jack said, astonished. 

“Not just you,” Katherine said, her voice shaky. “But Davey, Les, Romeo, Crutchie, Race, Specs and all the others.” 

Jack frowned. “That was stupid, Ace.”

Katherine crossed her arms. “You know him, and you know what he’s capable of. Even if he never got to the others, he’d make sure he killed you.” She put her hand on his chest. “That is not a risk I was willing to take.” 

Jack huffed. He wasn’t angry, he was just desperate to understand. “Yeah, I know what he can do. Ya wouldn’t think he’d be above killing ya when he got everything he needed?” Katherine hadn’t thought of that. 

“I don’t know,” she said. “I just figured that I could stall long enough to get out, and I guess I did.” She shrugged.

“But what if ya didn’t?” Jack asked, his voice barely a whisper. “What if I lost ya?” 

Katherine reached out and wiped the tears from his face. “Jack, what if I lost you? It wouldn’t just be me losing you, but the boys too. They would have lost a union leader, a friend, a brother.” Katherine thought for a moment. “Actually, that could’ve been his plan. If you were gone, it would be easier to pick the rest of them off. And by picking you off, my father suffers too. It’s all connected.” 

Jack frowned, but he knew she was right. He decided to change the subject. “Hey, Ace?” He said reaching for her hand. “How’d ya escape this time?” 

Katherine gave a weak smile. “The room with one lightbulb, and a hairpin,” she said.  
“How’d he not see ya?” Jack asked.

Katherine blinked. “He goes out for business on Thursdays,” was the answer she offered. Jack nodded. “Jack, the deal we made was that I’d stay with him and you’d be spared. Now that I escaped, he could still be out looking for you. Promise me you’ll be careful? I don’t- I can’t lose you.” 

Jack opened his arms and Katherine fell into his embrace. “Don’t worry. Ain’t nobody gonna die.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Someone was going to die. Snyder growled and slammed his fists on his desk. How did she get away? More importantly, why did she get away? He thought that she’d really stay this time, but clearly he was wrong. 

Had he really been stupid enough to believe that she had suddenly changed her mind after fighting him for months? Indeed he had. She had taken hold of him, and forced him to let her make a decision. Well no more. Once Jack was dead he’d take her back and show her who was in charge. He’d make sure that she’d never forget it either. Once Jack was gone, there would be no reason for her to even try to escape again. She wouldn’t admit it, but there was no life waiting for her without Jack. 

He had to make sure Pulitzer suffered more than he already was. The money he was given hadn’t been put to use yet. Maybe he’d use it for the wedding ceremony. He’d show her a life to which she’d never be able to say no to. A life full of luxury and him. She’d soon come to realize that he was what she wanted after all. He’d make her see, even if he had to ruin her pretty little face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are appreciated!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took so long! I've been going through a rough patch but anyways here it is

Jack and Katherine talked for hours until night fell. They hadn’t heard any stirrings from the house, so Katherine assumed her father was out of town. They climbed down her fire escape and started off in the direction of Meddas’ theatre. However, night fell soon and Katherine was cold and terrified. 

“Hey, Katherine you wanna go to the lodging house tonight?” Jack asked wrapping his arm around her. “It’s closer.”

“Yeah,” Katherine said absentmindedly. She was too busy looking over her shoulder to really pay attention. “Yeah, wherever we go, let’s make it quick.” Jack nodded and they hurried off in the direction of the lodging house. 

The streets were crowded with people celebrating New Years and it almost made it worse. Although she knew she wouldn’t be attacked around all these people, it was also impossible to know who was who. He could be following her right now and she wouldn’t be able to tell. Jack must’ve sensed her nerves as he walked faster down the street. 

After what felt like ages, they arrived at the lodging house. Katherine held her breath as they walked towards the front steps. 

A memory flashed in her mind of being chased up the street, feeling strong arms holding her back, Snyders’ cold hands touching her face, yelling for help and being knocked out cold. She tensed at this and wanted nothing more than to turn away and run as fast as she could. But she pushed on. No one’s coming to get me, she thought while climbing the stairs. Jack opened the door for her and she walked into the lodging house letting out the breath she’d been holding.

She barely had time to catch her breath before she felt someone clinging to her. She tensed up before realizing that it was just Les. He was still energetic, but not as energetic as he was in the past. He still smiled and chattered away as if he was trying not to think about anything. Davey came in the room to pry Les off of Katherine and he didn’t smile. His eyes were empty and sullen. Katherine’s heart ached for him. Jack had mentioned to her that Davey’s parents had died back in November while she was gone. Being her stubborn self, she insisted that this was why she stayed. Davey couldn’t lose Jack too. 

Katherine mouthed her thanks to Davey and Jack took her hand taking her upstairs. Instead of going to the full yet oddly quiet bunking room, Jack turned to a room across the hall. 

“It’s the room for the leaders or whatever,” he explained. Other than a small bed tucked away in the corner, the room was empty. “Yous can stay here and I’ll go sleep in the other room. Don’t be ‘fraid to yell if ya need anythin’.” 

Jack planted a kiss on her forehead and turned to leave. “Wait!” Katherine called. Jack turned around and embraced her. 

“Hmm?” He said. 

“Stay?” Katherine asked. 

Jack nodded and walked over to the bed. He took the blanket and pillow off the bed and laid them on the floor. “Is this alright?” He asked. Katherine nodded and laid down. Jack laid down a respectable distance from her. Both of them were shocked when Katherine snuggled closer to him. 

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Jack asked, “What would you do if I was gone?”

Katherine frowned, not wanting to think about the possibility. “Fight for your cause I guess,” She said. “I’d mourn and grieve, but I’d use that grief to make sure something like that wouldn’t happen ever again.” 

“Would ya ever love anyone else?”

Katherine was taken aback by the question. “Maybe, it’s hard to say.” 

Jack nodded and held her closer while kissing her forehead. The two bantered and joked until they fell asleep.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Katherine opened her eyes to see that she was in Jack’s arms. She smiled and snuggled closer to him. But all too soon, the comforting hands on her back turned into cold familiar ones. She tensed at the feeling and tried to wriggle her way out of his grasp. He only gripped tighter. 

“Hello my love,” he said in a chilling voice. “I see you missed me?” 

Katherine wanted to scream, but no sound would come out of her mouth. Snyder moved on top of her and-  
__________________________________________________________________________  
Katherine woke with an ear shattering scream. She was covered in sweat and she was shaking. Jack held his arms out to steady her but she only flinched away. There were stirs from the bunking room and Jack stood up to usher them away. Katherine stared at the wall trying to calm herself down, but it wasn’t working. Everywhere she looked she saw his face.

“Kath,” Jack whispered. “I’m here. He ain’t gonna hurt ya long as I’m here I promise.”

Katherine fell into his arms still shaking. Jack kissed her head and the two stayed there until the sun rose and the morning bell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof

It was back to work for Katherine that day. She was exhausted since she hadn’t slept the night before, but she knew she should busy herself with something. Jack left her at the Sun with a kiss on her hand and went off to hawk papes. 

Once inside the building, she immediately felt more at ease with the familiar sounds of typewriters and dull chatter. 

As she made her way over to her desk, she heard her co workers conversation. “...Pulitzer should be getting back by the fifteenth this month. Katherine’s been incredibly sick lately and he needed to make sure he didn’t catch whatever she had.”

The other nodded. “Hey did you hear the story about Warden Snyder?” Katherine froze in her tracks and pretended to busy herself by organizing the papers she’d been carrying. 

“No, what about him?”

“He’s out of jail on some kind of bail somehow.” Katherine sucked in a breath. He got out legally. They let this monster roam free for a little bit of cash. 

“They let people like him go out on bail? Why?” 

The other shook his head. “I don’t know but they say he must’ve left the city. There hasn’t been a trace of him anywhere.”

Katherine cleared her throat to get their attention. “Actually,” she said ignoring their shocked glances. “I heard that he went back to the Refuge. If that’s true, it kind of makes you think. Why would he go to the place that caused his downfall in the first place?”

The men stared at her in silent shock. 

“Just something to think about,” Katherine said making her way over to her desk ignoring the whispers of the other two. After months, she was finally able to sit and write.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
It was a slow day for papes. Not to mention it was freezing outside. Jack was exhausted as well. He didn’t sleep any last night trying to keep Katherine from having more nightmares.   
“Just close your eyes. I’m right here.” He had said.

“Everytime I close my eyes I see him,” She had responded. So Jack had just stayed awake holding her. 

He didn’t regret staying awake, but he wished he had gotten some sleep last night. He stood over in his usual selling spot selling a pape every once and a while, but there weren’t enough people out to sell more than five an hour. 

He was about to leave when he saw someone wearing a low hat walking his way. There was something unsettlingly familiar about his stride. He finally reached Jack and spoke, “One pape, please.” Jack froze as the man removed his hat. There he stood, face to face with the man who had taken nearly everything from him.

He tried to be strong for Katherine because she needed him right now, but whenever he was faced with Snyder himself, he turned into the terrified, shaky little boy that he was when he was first arrested. Snyder spoke again. “I said, one pape, pease.”

Jack nodded hastily as he reached a shaky hand into his bag and grabbed a pape. He held it out to Snyder who took it and in turn held out an entire dollar. Jack didn’t take it, he only stared. “Now Jack,” Snyder said. “I’m offering you a wonderful deal, and you’re not going to take it?” Hesitantly Jack reached out and took his money. He went to tuck it away in his pocket when Snyder reached his hand out and grabbed his wrist. 

“Kelly, if you know what’s good for you, you won’t say a single word about whatever she told you.” Snyder laughed, a horrendous sound. “Jack tried to break free but Snyder merely gripped tighter. 

His smile faded, and he leaned in further. “I know what kind of boy you are. You think that if you give up enough you’ll be able to save everyone. Well let me tell you this. If you even try to keep her from me, it’s over for you. You won’t be able to protect her when you’re dead. I’d advise you stay out of the way Boy. She’s rightfully mine, and I don’t intend on giving her up anytime soon.” With that he let go of Jack's now throbbing arm and walked off into the empty city.

Shaking, Jack looked at the dollar bill. He noticed that there was a note folded inside of it. The note was typed out, so nobody could trace it back to him. The only thing it said was: 21.

Jack didn’t understand what this meant and he was too shaken to stay out and sell papes. He tucked the dollar and the note into his pocket before making his way back to the lodging house.  
_____________________________________________________________________________  
Jack was running, then he wasn’t. He was painfully forced to his knees by Snyder. His chest was cold and bare. “Enjoy the show,” Snyder whispered in his ear.

Suddenly Katherine was there, barely clothed and beaten. Jack wanted to reach out and hold her; to keep her safe from the monster in front of him. But he couldn’t move. The next thing he knew, Snyder was on top of Katherine doing the vile things she had read and described to him. He wished he could block out the noise. Katherines screaming would haunt him for eternity. 

Suddenly he felt a sharp slash on his back. Then another and another. He felt the warm blood trickling down his back. Suddenly, Snyder stood in front of him brandishing a knife. 

“Night night,” He said. Jack heard Katherine cry out-  
____________________________________________________________________________  
“Jack wake up,” Katherine pleaded her voice teary. Jack shot up from his nightmare covered in sweat. He looked up at Katherine and saw that she was crying.

“Oh sweetheart I’m sorry.” Jack said wiping away her tears. 

“Why are you apologizing? Are you okay?”

Jack knew he couldn’t tell her about the encounter with Snyder and how seeing his face again triggered an intense nightmare. “Yeah,” he said his voice dry. Katherine pursed her lips but decided not to push it. The two lay in silence until the sun rose and the morning bell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated!


	24. Chapter 24

“Hey Plumber, over here!” Katherine turned at the sound of her name and saw her co workers Denton and Chris inviting her over to the main table. She sat down and they slid a coffee across the table to her. She braced herself for the bitter taste but was pleasantly surprised at the sweet taste it had. She couldn’t help but smile. She knew her first day here, she’d need to establish any kind of alliance with anyone in order to truly keep her job. She met Denton and Chris and they became friends right away. They were incredibly close friends at this point.

“So tell us more about your thoughts on Warden Snyder.”

Katherine scoffed staring into her coffee cup. “You mean other than the fact that he’s a disgusting pig who deserves to rot in hell?” She said trying to control the shakiness in her voice. She wasn’t successful and they looked at each other with confused expressions. 

“Well, yes. We want to know what he could possibly want since he’s back at the refuge and all-”

“Wait,” Katherine said holding her hand in the air. “That was just a speculation.”

They shared an excited look. “Well...turns out your speculation was right.” 

Katherine raised her eyebrows. “And how did you find out?”

“Well we asked Darcy.” Chris said matter of factly. Katherine’s eyes widened and she almost choked on a sip of her coffee. “We needed to find another source, and he confirmed that he saw him walking back into the Refuge. He didn’t see him come back out for a while.” They looked at her expectantly. “So why do you think he’s back at the Refuge?”

Katherine was silent for a moment pretending to be deep in thought. She knew that he was here for her and the thought made her shudder. But then she remembered something he had said a while back about money from her father. She realized that this could be her chance to take him down.

“Well, money probably.” She answered. “You know, because the strike last summer was the very reason he was arrested in the first place. Since the strike is pretty much my father's fault, I assume he blames my father for it. I suppose he wants money from him.” She finished with a shrug. 

“Anything else?” Denton asked, taking notes.

“Revenge,” Katherine answered. “Think about it; although there were other events leading to it Jack Kelly was the one to take him down in the end with his drawings of the Refuge. It’s no secret that he’s always hated Jack too, so what’s really stopping him from doing it?”

Denton continued to furiously scribble down notes. “Anything else?” 

Katherine looked over her shoulder and saw that they were the only ones in that area minus a new employee standing a little ways away. Katherine lowered her voice and leaned forward causing the other two to do the same. “He’s after me,” She whispered. 

“Are you sure?” Denton asked in shock looking up from his notes. Katherine nodded vigorously. 

“How do you know?” Chris asked  
.  
Katherine opened and closed her mouth several times before staring into her now empty coffee cup. She was really going to do this. She had to. She had already said this much, there would be no use in stopping now. “I’m connected to Jack and my father,” she said. “If I’m on the line, he might be able to get them to comply.” 

“Okay, but how do you know that he’s actually after you?” Chris asked. 

Katherine huffed and stood up from the table. “See me at lunch break.”  
_____________________________________________________________________________  
They met at Jacobi’s. The place wasn’t usually busy if Newsies weren’t hanging out and lounging over all the tables and most of them were working, so they were the only one’s there. They sat at a table in the corner, Katherine facing away from the door.

Her two co workers looked at her curiously. “So, how do you know?”

Katherine took in a breath and carefully rolled up her right sleeve. She peeled back the bandages just enough for them to see the letters S-N-Y-D-E-R engraved onto her arm.

“What?!” Denton said in shock. 

Katherine quickly covered her arm as the new employee walked through the door and sat at a table close to where they were sitting.

“You guys really didn’t think I was sick all that time?” She said shuddering. They still didn’t understand. “Snyder,” she said, the name tasting bitter in her mouth. “He kidnapped me that Thursday night and kept me with him for weeks. I got out and I was hurt so badly I needed people to take care of me for a while. After maybe two weeks, I was finally able to come back to work, but by the end of the week I couldn’t focus on anything which I’m sure you both knew.”

“That Friday night, at around 3 in the morning, I heard footsteps on my fire escape. He broke into my house-my room-and dragged me out of my bed. I don’t remember anything else from that night because I was knocked out. All I know is that I ended up in the Refuge again. He’s using me.” In more ways than one, Katherine thought with a shudder. 

“He’s hoping to weasel ransom money out of my father and for Jack to sacrifice himself for me. Only then will he be satisfied. And it doesn’t end there. It’s not like he’ll let me go once it’s over. I’d know too much and I’d expose him in every way possible so there’s no reason to let me go.” 

Denton and Chris stared in horror at Katherine’s story as Jacobi came and sat their food down in front of them. None of them had an appetite anymore. Katherine put her face in her hands. “Just know that if I’m ever gone again that’s where I am.” The silence lingered all around them.

“How can we prove it?” Denton asked. “I want to see him locked away for good.” 

“In all honesty, I don’t know.” Katherine replied. “It’s not like they’ll believe me. Hell, they’d probably send me to the mental ward.”

“There’s gotta be some kind of evidence somehow,” Chris said. He thought for a moment before looking at Katherine’s arm. “They could match the knife to the cuts on your arm-” Katherine held up her hand effectively silencing him. 

She closely watched their new co worker who sat only a few tables away and saw that even though his back was turned, he was leaning in their general direction showing that he was indeed, listening in on this conversation. “Let’s go. We’ll talk about this later.” She said this with such urgency in her voice that the other two didn’t question her. Katherine couldn’t believe how stupid she was. Of course that person was a spy for Snyder. How else would they have known which room was hers in that giant mansion? Katherine shuddered. Now she was afraid that she put Denton and Chris’s lives in danger as well. 

The trio reached the Sun again and they moved the conversation to Denton’s tiny office. 

“You must’ve bled a lot, yeah?” Chris asked her locking the door. Katherine cringed at the sound. “We could get detectives to do blood tests on blood stains that would probably still be on the floor.” Katherine shuddered pushing away a flood of memories. 

“Yeah that could work. I also wrote while I was in there. They’d be able to date the writing back to when I was there.” They all nodded along but the ideas still seemed like they wouldn’t work. The only way to do it would be to catch him in the act.

Suddenly Katherine came to a realization. Before she acted on it, she’d have to make sure that Jack, Denton, Darcy and Chris were well aware of what she was going to do. She’d have to go back to him. Jack would get to Medda who in turn would get to the governor. Denton would call police and detectives. Chris would get in touch with a judge just in case. And Darcy would report on every single event that happened so the world would never forget the type of monster Snyder is. 

She couldn’t believe that she was about to go back to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated!


	25. Chapter 25

A lot had been on Jacks mind since the encounter with Snyder. Davey had found out and pestered Jack endlessly to tell Katherine about it. Jack had declined. But now, after meeting him again two weeks later and being handed another dollar bill and a typed not that read 7, he was concerned. 

He laid on the floor next to Katherine that night, who also seemed to have a lot on her mind. 

“I saw ‘im, Kath.” He blurted out.

“What?” Katherine asked, confused.

“Snyder.” He said his voice shaking involuntarily. “He met me by my sellin’ spot two weeks ago. Gave me a whole dollar bill and a typed note that said 21. The next week he did the same thing but the note said 14. Then today he came back and the note said 7. Is it some kind of countdown?” He took a deep breath. “I’m so scared, Ace.” 

“Oh, Jack.” She said embracing him. “Is it a bad time to mention that I told Denton and Chris and we have a plan to take him down? Well I haven’t told them the plan yet.”

Jack leaned back on his elbows. “I’m intrigued.” He said. “Go on.” 

Katherine took in a breath. “Well, the only way for Snyder to be caught is to catch him in the act,” She explained. “I’d have to go back to him.”

“No!” Jack exclaimed grabbing her hand. “You ain’t goin’ back there. I promised myself…”

“Jack,” She said softly. “The countdown is how many days until he comes after you. He won’t come after you if I’m with him. You’re not going to die if I can help it.”

“But-” He started to protest. 

“Jack Kelly. There are spies watching me almost all the time. There’s no other way to stop him than this.” 

Jack knew that she was right. He had to trust that she would be okay but he really didn’t want to see her like that ever again. “I don’t like this,” He mumbled. “But I’m listening.”   
_____________________________________________________________________________  
Jack wasn’t surprised that Snyder was planning to kill him. He knew from the very first lash on his back that Snyder hated him with a passion. 

Jack was surprised that Katherine was even considering going back to him. Although she had explained that catching him in the act was the only way to truly catch him because all the evidence would be turned against her, Jack still didn’t want her to do it. 

“Why do ya have to go back? Why can’t I go instead or why can’t I be the one to come and save ya right away? Why do we hafta wait for a week?”

Katherine took his face in her hands planting a kiss on his cheek. “Because Jack, he’s counting on you to be the hero. Unfortunately he knows you.”

“Yeah,” Jack said, suddenly slipping into a memory.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Race lay on the floor of the Refuge shaking and bloody. Snyder raised a whip above his head. 

“This is fun!” He shouted, obviously intoxicated. Jack and all the other kids stood there watching in horror as his best friend, his brother lay whimpering in pain.

That should be me. Was Jack’s first thought as the whip came down again. Race let out a horrifying scream. Jack watched over and over as the whip came down again and again. Every crack and every scream would haunt Jack for the rest of his life. What am I doin’? He thought. He needed to save Race. Even though Race did break a rule, the kid was only 13!

Without thinking anymore, Jack threw himself on top of Race before the whip could come down on him again. Jack was only 15, but the sting of a whip was something he was used to. “I’m sorry Racer,” he whispered as Race cried in pain.

“Well, well, well. Look at the little hero.” Snyder spat, stumbling over his words. He yanked Jack off of Race and dragged him away while Race continued to scream. 

Snyder dragged Jack down the stairs-  
___________________________________________________________________________  
“Jack?” Katherines’ soft voice snapped him back into reality.

“Yeah sorry I’m fine.” 

“Are you?” 

Jack had a million things racing through his mind, but one question sprang forward. “Why are you stayin’ with me?” 

“What do you mean?” Katherine asked, frowning.

“He’s only goin’ after ya because of me-”

“Jack.” Katherine said cutting him off. “He wants me now. Weather we’re together or not won’t make a difference in that.” 

He knew she was right, so he just wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and let me know what you think!


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor bby

He watched her carefully. Hiding in plain sight as he put it. He posed as a new coworker and she believed it. Snyder had told him what to look out for and he followed every step closely. She went back to the lodging house every night, and everyday before work she’d kiss Jack Kelly goodbye. He always left before her, in hopes to hide and take her again, but she always had multiple people accompanying her.

Nothing really stood out until she went out to lunch with two other men. Naturally, he followed them there. She seemed suspicious enough of him so he didn’t want to freak her out by sitting too close. Maybe he was too far away, or maybe they were very good at keeping their voices down, but he could barely make out their conversation. They left abruptly and Snyder had told him not to worry about the other two.

So every night, he continued to wait and catch her alone, but she never came  
_____________________________________________________________________________  
Katherine was scared. Anyone in her position would be. She almost didn’t want to do this, but she had to. She had to for Jack and the rest of the boys. Nobody wanted to let her go, but with a little bit of talking, everyone was on board with the plan. The night before, Jack held her close all night whispering “I love you’s” and giving her little kisses on her cheeks. 

When the morning bell rang, neither of them wanted to move from their comfortable position on the floor. This would be the last time they saw each other for at least a week. Jack pulled her close and kissed her sweetly. The kiss was long and soft. Once they pulled away, both of them yearned for more, but they knew that they had to get on with the day. 

They walked together to work. It was still cold, but the two pressed against each other while they walked.

Once they got to Katherine’s work, Jack pulled her in for one more kiss, his cheeks wet. Neither of them trusted themselves to speak, so they left it at that. 

The day went in a blur for Katherine. Denton and Chris checked up on her constantly and Darcy even dropped by. She received a letter from her father saying that he wished her luck on her new story (she hadn’t told him where she was going). The end part of the letter stated that he’d be out of town until February. 

Night came soon, all too soon. Denton and Chris hugged her extra tight on their way out. Katherine sat in silence. Every sound was jarring. She was shaking, but she had to do this.

Taking a breath, she gathered her things and stepped outside into the night.

He was so stupid. Katherine could see where he stood every night, waiting to catch her alone, and tonight she was about to walk right into that trap. 

Before walking out the door, she recounted everything Darcy told her. 

“Don’t fight back. We don’t want him to say that you assaulted him. Don’t call him names. Don’t give in to whatever he wants you to do, even if he threatens one of us. Make it clear that you don’t want whatever he’s doing, but do so without fighting back. Avoid the false sweetness, he’ll use that against you. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be there at the end of the week. If we aren’t, I’m sorry but you have to stay.” 

She had to really watch her words. She took a deep breath and stepped out into the freezing night. She walked at a normal pace, headed in the direction of the Lodging House. Then she saw him out of the corner of her eye. The next thing she knew, there was a hand squeezing her wrist.

“I’ve been waiting for a long time,” he said. “Boss’ll be real happy with me now.”

“Please, let me go!” Katherine cried. 

“Not today little lady.” 

Katherine tried to pull herself away from him without putting her hands on him. It wasn’t working. The man began to walk, dragging Katherine behind him down some familiar alleyways.

“Boss’ll be so excited to see ya.” Katherine began to panic at the idea of seeing Snyder again. “It’s no surprise,” he said. “You’s a real pretty thing.” 

Katherine began to cry. Even though this was her choice, she wished there was another way. 

All too soon, they stood outside the door of Snyder’s office. The man knocked. 

“Enter.”

The voice sent a thousand chills down Katherine’s spine and all she wanted to do was run as far away as possible. 

The man opened the door revealing Snyder, sitting at his desk reading a paper.   
“Boss,” the man said pushing Katherine in front of him.

Snyder looked up, annoyed at first. Then when he saw Katherine, his expression changed into something Katherine didn’t even want to name.

“Leave us.” 

The grip around Katherine’s wrist was gone and she rubbed it with her left hand as the door shut behind her. The silence in the room was deafening. 

“I have a lot to say to you,” he said standing up towering over her. “You left. Without a word. You climbed out my window and left me.” He moved closer to Katherine placing a hand on her cheek as she shied away. “I’ve missed you so much, dear.” 

Katherine was then knocked to the ground by a slap so hard there was a ringing in her ears. Snyder lifted her up by her hair and looked her directly in the eye. “You’re going to have to learn some manners if you’re going to stay here.”

“I don’t want you. I never did.” Katherine said meekly. 

“Don’t lie to me. Bitch.” He said throwing her down onto the cold floor. “Hm. I think you need to go to the basement for a little lesson.” 

Panic arose in Katherine. “No!” She cried. But her cries were unheard. She was dragged down the basement stairs and thrown onto the dirt floor. Snyder grabbed her by her throat.

“You’ll learn, dear. You’ll learn to love me. You’ll see that I am what you want. Now,” he dropped Katherine back onto the floor. “I won’t stop until you admit that you want to be with me.”

“I don’t,” Katherine said. She almost wished she hadn’t. Snyder moved his arm back and delivered blow after blow. Katherine covered her head and curled into fetal position. She began to cry. 

“You’re so pretty like that,” Snyder cooed. His hands were all over her, and she wanted him off. 

“Stop,” she begged. Snyder ignored her and ripped off her clothing. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” Katherine cried as she felt it. 

“Stop,” she begged again. “Please stop I don’t want this!”

“That wasn’t the deal, sweetheart.”

So Katherine laid there, crying in earnest, while Snyder had his way with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are appreciated


	27. Chapter 27

It had been such a long week for Jack, he couldn’t even imagine the kind of week Katherine had. Today was the day. Once they succeeded, he could have Katherine safe in his arms and leave Snyder to rot in prison for life. He hardly slept the past week because every time he closed his eyes he saw Snyder. 

He had the easiest part of the operation. He accompanied Medda to the governor's office and she asked to see him. Of course he agreed, and Jack and Medda told him about the horrible things Snyder had done. 

“He shouldn’t be able to be let out on bail.” Jack stated a line that Darcy had fed to him. “Morris and Oscar Delancey were able to get him out with bail the first time. I don’t know if they’re still workin’ with ‘im, but they were involved.”

The governor had taken this all in, and he helped Denton get police officers on standby for Thursday. “No judge is needed,” he told them. 

Davey, Specs and Race had trailed along with them that day, Race clinging tightly to Davey’s arm. They stood outside the building. It looked evil. So much trauma had been caused inside that building, but soon it would all be over.

“Jack.” Jack turned at the sound of his name. “Proud of you son.” Roosevelt said clapping him on the back.

The Bulls arrived alongside Chris and Denton and the group made their descent into the refuge, the Bulls leading the way. They moved slowly and quietly since they didn’t know who was in here. It was silent until a bone chilling scream came from deep within the Refuge. 

“Oh god,” Denton whispered. 

“We gotta go faster,” Jack urged. The group continued their decent at a faster pace, as Katherine let out another horrifying scream.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Katherine hadn’t slept or eaten in god knows how long. She had been enclosed in a cold, small dark room. She was terrified of the dark. Snyder had used her multiple times, and he was so cruel that he would shove her head in cold water as he did.

“Make it quick,” he’d say. 

He also mimicked Jacks touches. The way he’d hold her and mess with her hair. The way he’d pick her up and spin her around. The way he’d hold her hand and kiss her. These actions were always followed by intense pain causing her to fear that kind of touch. 

“If you don’t admit that I’m what you want, I’ll pick off your little gutter rat friends one by one. I’ll save Kelly for last, that way he gets to see all his friends die and know it’s your fault.” Katherine almost wanted to agree, but she kept silent remembering the plan. 

Katherine didn’t know what day it was. But of course, the torture continued. She was writhing on the ground and Snyder was on top of her, a cigarette in his mouth.

“What if I just broke all of your fingers, one by one?” He said touching her fingertips. “No more writing for you.” He smiled evilly. He grabbed her right forefinger and Katherine closed her eyes. “I should’ve done this to Kelly. He never would’ve been able to draw that cartoon, and you wouldn’t be here now. Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t break his fingers,” he shrugged.

“A finger for everyday you say you don’t want me, starting now.” With that he snapped her finger. Katherine screamed feeling the pain shoot through her arm. How am I going to write now? She asked herself, her eyes still closed. 

Suddenly, she felt a burning feeling on her thigh. The pain got worse and worse the longer he held it there. “Say it,” he growled. 

“No, please!” Katherine cried. 

Snyder stubbed out that cigarette and lit a new one, pressing it on her thigh. Katherine screamed again at the pain. Would this ever end?  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Jack knew exactly where she was, and it seemed no one else was in here. Upon hearing her scream again, he bolted in front of the Bulls. He heard the groups footsteps behind them and kept running. The deeper he went, the worse it got. Her screams were louder and his memories wouldn't leave him alone.

Then there he was, in front of the door of the basement. He could clearly hear Snyder’s voice and Katherine’s cries. He knew he should wait. He knew he shouldn’t go in, but he couldn’t wait. Katherine was being tortured and he was here, he could stop it. He opened the door. The bulls were faster than he thought as they were right behind him as they entered. 

“Hands up! Get off the lady!” The scene before him was awful. Katherine lay in her blood clutching a wound inflicted by Snyder’s knife. One finger wasn’t moving like the rest of them. Her face was bloody and bruised, to the point that she was almost unrecognizable. 

Once Snyder had been brought to his knees and handcuffed, Jack ran over to Katherine. He moved her dress up to see the wound. It wasn’t deep. His intent wasn’t to kill, just to torture. He scooped Katherine up in his arms and Katherine wrapped her arms around his neck. She was getting blood on his shirt, but he didn’t care. He needed to get out of here. Everything about this basement was haunting. He walked up the stairs and out of the basement passing Race and Davey. Upon seeing Katherine, Race buried his head in Daveys shoulder.

“We hafta wait for Darcy. He knows where the doctor is.” So they waited for what felt like forever. Katherine moaned in pain the entire time. Eventually, Snyder was lead up the stairs by the Bulls. Race jumped back behind Davey and Katherine flinched. Snyder paused to leer at Katherine. In a flash of movement, Snyder knocked down the bull behind him and sent him toppling down the stairs. He hit the bull in front of him in the head dazing him for a good moment. He lunged forward at Jack and grabbed his shirt from his cuffed hands. Even though Jack held onto Katherine as tight as he could, Katherine fell out of his arms and onto the ground. Before he could react, Snyder pushed Jack down and he fell painfully. Davey and Race rushed over to help him up. Snyder moved so he was on top of Katherine.

“You’re gonna regret this little lady,” Snyder growled at Katherine. “We’ll see how fast you come running back to me.”

“No, no, no!” Katherine sobbed.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Snyder responded. “Here’s a little something to remember me by.” He leaned forward and kissed her. He seemed to revel in the moment, sloppily kissing her while she lay defenseless on the ground.

Finally standing up, Jack saw the scene before him. Snyder on top of Katherine, Katherine sobbing and kicking her feet as Snyder kissed her. 

“Specs!” He cried. Specs came bounding up the stairs and he took in the scene. Without thinking twice, he lunged towards Snyder, successfully knocking him off. Jack lifted Katherine off the ground and handed her to Davey. Jack and race moved to help the bull stand up. Once they finally got him up, Snyder was tackled and pinned down. The other officer came limping up the stairs and helped to pin Snyder down. Darcy, Denton, Chris and the Governor followed. They all watched as Snyder was dragged out of the refuge and went to be locked up for good.

“We have other officers going to find the Delancey brothers. They too, will be arrested for what they’ve done.” 

“Thank you Governor,” Jack said. He took Katherine who was still crying and shaking from Davey and turned to Darcy who was furiously scribbling on a notepad. “Where’s the doctor?” 

“Right this way,” Darcy said. They all turned and walked out of the Refuge, for the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated


	28. Chapter 28

Katherine lay on a soft bed. Her mind kept flashing back to memories of the past week. All the way up until her finger being broken, it had been pure torture. He played so many mind games and hurt her so much she didn’t know what to do. She had never been happier than when Jack came bursting through the door, the police in tow. She’d missed his scent and his touch.

The door opened snapping Katherine out of her thoughts. Jack came in followed by the doctor. 

“Hey Ace,” he said smiling. He moved over and took Katherines left hand in his. Katherine flinched violently at this and Jack let go. “I’m sorry,” he said.

The doctor moved quickly, setting her finger and treating her burns and bruises. He treated the wound on her stomach and bandaged it up. He then left the room, leaving Katherine and Jack by themselves. 

“You can go to sleep, Ace it’s okay. I’m here. Ain’t no one gonna harm ya.” Katherine was exhausted. Even though she was still afraid, her exhaustion got the better of her and she fell into a deep sleep.   
_____________________________________________________________________________  
Katherine opened her eyes to see the sun shining through the windows. She was alone in the room. She sat up just as the door opened. The sound made her flinch.  
“Good Afternoon, miss.” The doctor said. “I need to change your bandages, is that alright?” Katherine nodded and let him change the bandages. 

Once he was done, Jack walked in holding a bowl. He set the bowl down on the bedside table and enveloped her in a hug. “I love ya, Ace. You’re so strong ya know that?” Katherine nuzzled into his shoulder.

“I love you too.”


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's been through a lot, it's time to heal.

It was hard. Recovering from that much trauma definitely took time. Most days she felt as if she was getting worse. Those were the days she wouldn’t let Jack touch her because it reminded her of how Snyder would touch her. She couldn’t work for a while because of her finger. Eventually it healed but it still moved awkwardly. 

They found out that the Delancy’s each got two years in prison. That wasn’t great but Snyder had gotten thirty years in prison, no bail. That was a reason to celebrate. Darcy wrote an article and Katherine wrote one (or rather spoke it out and let Darcy type it since her finger was still in a lot of pain) about her personal experience with Snyder. 

The police had searched the Refuge and found a letter with her father's address on it. Inside there was an absurd amount of money with a note saying: Please, bring my daughter back.

It broke Katherine’s heart to see that. Her father had let her keep the money, and Katherine used it to buy a new apartment. After what had happened before, she couldn’t ever set foot into her bedroom again.

Mentally, Katherine was not alright. She often had flashbacks and awful nightmares. The nightmares continued to get worse and worse. One night, they got so bad she ended up at the lodging house, safe in Jack’s arms.

Spring came around again, and Katherine finally got outside. She sat underneath a shady tree playing cards with Race, Spot and Specs. Everything seemed like it would be okay. She thought that every day until she went to sleep. Nightmares would attack her, leaving her with fresh images of what happened or what could’ve happened had they gotten to her later. 

On the night she tried to stay in her apartment by herself, she ended up sobbing the entire night. She sobbed until the sun rose. She didn’t leave her apartment or even her bed at all that day. 

Time passed and it became a little easier to manage. Summer came and went. Her summer was filled with the boys and work which was wonderful. Her article finally got published and made front page. Katherine figured that a lot of women could benefit from her story.

Perhaps the hardest part of all of this was reminding herself that it was not her fault. Yes, she did leave later than she should’ve, but he was the one who decided to kidnap her. 

It was July, Jack and Katherine’s one year anniversary. They stood in the “penthouse” and looked over the city. She didn’t know this, but Jack was drawing her. Once he finished, he moved next to her and took her hand in his. When he bent down to kiss her, Katherine didn’t flinch away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated!


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beautiful ending they deserve

July, 1905  
Katherine awoke to see Jack sleeping next to her. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him planting a kiss on his cheek. 

“G’mornin,’” he mumbled before going back to sleep. Katherine couldn’t help but laugh.

Katherine looked down at the wedding ring on her hand. The ring Jack worked so hard to buy. After everything with Snyder, Katherine was weary of marriage. But when Jack proposed, he promised her that he didn’t own her and he would never claim to. He also told her that he loved her more than anything in the world and wanted to marry her because he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Of course Katherine had said yes. 

They married on her father’s budget, although he still didn’t approve of the two, even he couldn’t deny how in love they were. All of the Newsies were invited and they sure did make it a party. 

It was the morning after the wedding. Last night, so many thoughts had gone in her head. 

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked pulling her into a hug.

She sighed. “You know, what people do on their wedding nights?” 

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think I’m ready.”

Jack held her at arm's length. “Ace, look me in the eye.” She did. “You don’t hafta be ready tonight, or hell anytime soon. You could never be ready and I’d be okay with that.” Katherine put her hands on his face and kissed him.

“I love you so much,” she murmured against his lips.

“Right back at ya,” Jack responded. She danced with him the rest of the night.

This morning, she climbed out of bed and walked down the stairs. The Newsies lay asleep on her living room floor. Well, they weren’t all newsies now. Romeo was eighteen, and still hawked papes. Same withed Les. He was fourteen now. Davey went to school on a scholarship for law, but of course he was here with his brothers. Jack was still the Union leader even though he’d gotten a full time job as an illustrator. Crutchie worked at Jacobi’s since it was a nice environment and he was able to move around a little less. 

The rest of them worked in various factories now, and Katherine was concerned for their safety. She mothered them quite a bit, and they would all tease her for it.

Chuckling, she went back upstairs and into her and Jack’s bed. She snuggled up next to him and he wrapped his arms around her. The scars on her arms had faded and were much less noticeable than they were before. She still had nightmares sometimes, but hardly as often as she used to. She felt in her heart that everything would truly be okay. For sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This is the end of this story! Fun fact, this is the first story I've ever truly finished. I just want to thank you all for being so supportive of this story. Your comments and love for the characters honestly motivated me to keep writing. I'm starting another work for Newsies soon, so stay tuned <3 Love you all!!


	31. Back for More (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years after the story's events, someone comes back into Jack and Katherine's lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OC: Lilly Kelly
> 
>  
> 
> I decided to revisit this work as you can see. We'll see how it goes

July, 1913

“Bye Jack! Have a good day at work!” Katherine said pulling him to the door of their apartment. 

“Hey don’t be so quick to push me out! You’s know you’s gonna miss me.” He said giving a fake pout. 

“Nope. We had our night last night,” Katherine said with a flirty smirk before pushing him out the door. “Lilly and I need to have our girls day and in order for us to do that, you need to leave.”  
Jack put his hands up in mock defeat. “Oh alrigh’ alrigh’. Can I get a kiss before I go?” Katherine smiled before pulling him into a deep kiss. She lived for moments like this. Moments where life was simple and she felt safe in Jack’s warm embrace.

“Yuck!” Jack and Katherine broke the kiss to see their four year old daughter pretending to throw up at the sight of her parents love. “Mommy! Make Daddy leave so we c’n have our girls day!” She whined in her high pitched voice. 

“Okay, little bee. Daddy’s leaving now.” Katherine said shutting the door laughing at Jack’s muffled, “hey” from the other side. “Alright Lilly, what do you want to do today?” Katherine said as she went to wash the dishes from their family breakfast.

Lilly scrunched up her little face as her four-year-old brain worked to come up with something her and Mommy could do together. “Uhh...daw!” She decided.

“You wanna draw?” Katherine asked as she put the last of the dishes in the sink. She’d wash them later. “Like Daddy?”

“Hey!” She heard Lilly’s little feet scatter across the floor to where she was standing. Lilly tugged on her skirt to get Katherine to look at her before putting a little finger to her lips. “Shhh don’ talk about Daddy! It’s girls day!”

Katherine bent down to her level. “You’re right, little bee it’s girls day. What do you want to draw?”  
“A picture for Daddy!” She shouted in excitement before scurrying off to the playroom, her previous statement forgotten. Katherine chuckled before standing up and following her daughter.

Katherine studied her daughter while she drew, still amazed that she created someone so perfect. She had Jack’s hair, and his eyes. Almost everything about her resembled Jack even her fiery, determined personality (albeit that was both of them). Katherine loved her daughter with all her heart. She was jerked out of her thoughts when a sharp knock sounded at the door. 

“It’s auntie Sarah! She say she was comin’ to play with us, Mama!”

“Said.” Katherine corrected. “And she’s not coming till later. Stay here while I get the door, okay?” Lilly nodded her little head in response as Katherine moved to the door. The knock sounded again. “That’s odd. I wasn’t expecting anyone.” Katherine said to herself.

She opened the door. “Hi, can I help-” She abruptly stopped when she saw who was waiting for her on the other side. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Hello,” he said hungrily. Katherine was frozen in place. All the memories she thought she’d forgotten were suddenly racing back to her in record speed. The hands all over her, the ice cold water stabbing every inch of her body, the crack of her bones, the hands around her throat, the blades on her skin. She wanted to close and lock the door and call the police, but she couldn’t move. Snyder let himself in and closed the door behind him. Katherine followed. 

“What are you doing in my home?” She managed to choke out. She was in her thirties, and she hadn’t seen him in years, but she felt like the scared seventeen year old girl she was when all of this happened. 

“You know why I’m here,” he said curtly stepping closer to her. Katherine heard a little hum from the room behind her. Oh no. Did he know about Lilly? 

“What?” She asked, trying her best to be brave. 

He sighed. “Katherine, all those years I was in jail, I only thought about you. Your hair, your eyes, your lips, your body,” Katherine shuddered. “And, your fortune.” He chuckled. “And now your old man has expired, well I figured you came into that fortune. And,” He said stepping even closer. “You and me would make a handsome son. So what do you say, dear. Do you want to help me get back on my feet?” He held his hand out expectantly. 

“I didn’t take any money,” she answered truthfully. Snyder growled before striking her across the face. A flash of memories crossed Katherine’s mind.  
“You bitch! Don’t you lie to me-”

“Mommy?” Katherine’s heart dropped to her stomach. Snyder was taken aback. 

“Oh! You and Jack have a little brat.” He spat. “I guess you weren’t infertile after all.”

Lilly looked at Snyder before scrunching up her face. “You look yucky,” she said bluntly. "An' you need to leave. It's girls day!"

“Honey,” Katherine said avoiding the use of her daughters name. “That’s impolite!” Even though she had to agree.

“Oh, you have manners now don’t you?!” Katherine flinched. He moved so she was pinned against a wall his foul breath made her eyes water. “Katherine, you are going to do as I say and give me a son. If you don’t, then well your daughter…” Katherine’s eyes widened as she tried to stop from shaking. She couldn’t bear the thought of Lilly being hurt. Katherine averted her eyes to see that Lilly had left the room, presumably to stay out of the way of adults business.

Katherine didn’t know what to do or what to say. The front door opened. “Hey sorry to interrupt on your girls day, but I forgo-” Jack stopped and took in the scene before reacting. Something he never did when he was young. “Get the hell off my wife!” He raged pushing Snyder off of Katherine and holding her close. 

Snyder was unfazed by this as he walked out of the door. “Think about what I’ve said Katherine. I’m not joking around.” Jack cast a confused look at Katherine, but all she could do was sob in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Likes and comments are appreciated


	32. Back for More (part 2)

“How?” Katherine asked that night as she lay pressed against Jack’s body. 

“Hmm?” He mumbled, half asleep. 

Katherine sighed. “How did he get out? It hasn’t been anywhere near thirty years!” 

Jack stroked her hair. “Well Ace, this is the thousandth time you’ve asked this today and I still don’ know the answer. I wish I did.” She sighed.

The next few days went in a blur. Both Jack and Katherine were terrified that Snyder would barge in at any second so they took leave off work. The group was over more often than not to provide them some company and distract them from what was coming. However, that came to an end when schedules became busy and life took over.

“I’m scared, Jack.” Katherine whispered one night after Jack woke her from a nightmare. She still hadn’t told him the extent of Snyder's promises.

“I know, Ace. Me too.”

Katherine took a deep breath. “He wants a baby, Jack.” She said softly. Silence. 

Jack swallowed. “You-you don’t mean…”

“That’s exactly what I mean-” she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence because she burst into tears. She sobbed loud, ugly sobs even though it was the middle of the night. Jack held her close muffling her sobs in his shirt.

“Mommy? Daddy?” Came a tired, confused voice which only made Katherine cry harder. “Daddy!” Lilly exclaimed hopping up onto their bed. “What’s wrong with mommy?” 

Jack sighed. “Mommy’s very stressed out right now.” 

Lilly wrinkled her nose. “Then mommy should change! If she don’t like being dressed out, she should change.” Katherine let out a strangled laugh at her daughter’s misinterpretation and scooped her up in her arms. 

“I love you so much little bee.” She said through her tears. Lilly gave Katherine a sloppy kiss on the cheek before wiggling out of her arms and going back to her room. Katherine sighed and rolled back over to Jack. “What am I going to do?” She whispered, the fear in her eyes evident even in the dark.

“We could leave,” Jack suggested. “Go somewhere else for a bit ‘till we know he’s dead-”

“Jack he has spies everywhere. That’s how he found us the first time.” 

“You’re right.” Jack said, defeated. 

Eventually the time came for Jack to head back to work. Katherine didn’t want to see him go, but they had to eat somehow. Katherine did her best to keep Lilly occupied, but she was too distracted. She’d hardly slept for the past week and it was starting to catch up to her. Just as she drifted off to sleep, a sharp knock sounded at the door. Katherine froze.

“Open up! I know you’re in there dear!” Katherine’s palms began to sweat and her heart began to race. She ushered a confused Lilly back upstairs. One look at her sweet, innocent daughter and it suddenly dawned on her. She knew what she had to do. 

“Lilly, listen to me okay?” Lilly nodded, bewildered. “Stay here until I’m gone and then I want you to call Uncle Specs, Uncle Darcy and Uncle Davey okay? You remember their numbers?” The pounding on the door continued.

“Yeh.” Lilly said pouting.

“Okay good. Tell uncle Specs that you need him to come and watch you, and tell uncle Darcy and Davey you need to speak with Daddy and they’ll pass the message onto him. Do not get off the phone until you’re done speaking to daddy, got it?”

“Mmhmm,” Lilly said sticking a thumb in her mouth. The pounding came louder making both Katherine and Lilly jump. 

“Tell him I had to go cover a story for a refuge, okay?” Katherine stared intently at her daughter until she nodded. As soon as she did, Katherine enveloped her into a hug. “I love you so much my little bee. Don’t worry it’s just urgent work, okay? I’ll see you as soon as I can.” She planted a kiss onto Lilly’s cheek trying not to cry, but failing. 

“Open up now darling! Or I’ll have to come in another way!” Katherine reluctantly moved downstairs, tear stains evident on her face and flung open the door. “Ahh there you are.” He said, a sickening smile on his face. “Tsk tsk. Hasn’t anyone told you to never keep a man waiting?” Katherine glared at him as Snyder traced her tear tracks, the smell of alcohol prominent on his breath.

“I love it when you cry,” he whispered in her ear sending chills down her spine. “It lets me know that I have complete control over you.” He began to put his hands everywhere, places they didn’t belong. “You’re coming with me right now, Katherine. I want a son before I expire. But after all you put me through, dear,” He yanked her towards him by her hair and Katherine suppressed a cry. “You won’t enjoy this one bit.” He hissed in her ear. Katherine trembled with fear as Snyder dragged her away from her peaceful life once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and Kudos are appreciated


	33. Back for More (part 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this is so short! I have a few breaks coming up soon so maybe I'll update more. Thanks for sticking around <3

Her mommy was gone. She left Lilly all alone. A scary man came pounding at the door and she left with him. Lilly was scared. She tried not to be for her mama’s sake, because mama was scared.

It had been quiet for a while, so Lilly made her way downstairs to the telephone. Her tiny hands fumbled with it for a few minutes before she finally got ahold of uncle Specs.

“Hullo?” He answered. 

“Hello.” Lilly said trying to control the shakiness in her voice.

“Oh, hey little bee! What’s going on?” 

“Um, mommy had work she had to go do right now, and I’m all alone.” 

“Urgent work?” Specs asked, a twinge of suspicion in his voice.

“Mhm,” Lilly responded, even though she didn’t think her mommy had to go to work. “Some scary man came to our door and said she had to go. She said that she was doin’ a story for a reuse.”

“A...refuge?” Specs pieced together.

“Yeah.” 

Specs felt his blood run cold. Could it be…? No it wasn’t possible, he was in jail. “Lilly? What did he look like? The man that came to get your mommy?” 

Lilly wrinkled her nose. “Tall and yucky.” 

Specs sighed. “Anything else?”

Lilly thought for a moment. “He has a weird mustache and his eyes look like buttons.”   
Spec’s breathing hitched. “Oh.”

“And he looks so mean.” Lilly whispered. Specs didn’t know how to respond to that. The two sat in silence for a moment. “Uncle Specs?” Lilly finally asked.

“Yes, Little Bee?” Specs said using the endearing nickname the newsies had given her.

“Um...I know mommy said for you to come watch me...but I wan’ uncle Davey.”

“Sure thing, Little Bee. I’ll call Uncle Davey and then I’ll call your dad.”

“Yeh.” 

“Alright, bye.”

“Wait!” Specs started at the child’s sudden outburst. “Mommy said to tell daddy that she had an important story on a reuse.” 

“Refuge,” Specs corrected shuddering at the word.

“Mhm.” Lilly responded, feeling her throat close up with fear. No one seemed to like that man or the the reused Refuge. “Okay bye bye,” she said not waiting for Spec’s answer before hanging up. She wasn’t going to cry. Not here, not now. She had to be strong for mommy and be brave for daddy. She could do it. 

She sat down on the floor and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated


End file.
